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Class tl ^ Q 2>> 
Book ■ ^ 17_ 



Copyright "N^.. 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



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I K<1.M \ I'lK 



THE "CONSTITUTION." 

iK AVt KF, I'llJMSHKll »!■» A. W. KI.S<» .t 



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American Naval Heroes 

. I77c;-i8i2-i86i-i898 



BEING BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF THE 

BRAVE MEN WHO HAVE GLORIFIED 

THE AMERICAN NAVY BY 

THEIR DEEDS OF 

HEROISM 



BY 

JOHN HOWARD Brown 

Edilor-in-Cliief ot the " Cyclopa;di:i nf American Biographies," Etc., Etc. 



With the editorial a.'^sistance of 

GERTRUDE BATTLES LANE 



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BOSTON 

Brown and Company, Publishers 
1S99 



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30546 



Copyright 1899. 
BROWN AND COMPANY, PUBLISHERS. 






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Boston : 
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ff)erDC0 of tl)c JTorccastlc 

^djiebemcnts of 

Eljc American Nabal p?rroes 

)03f Seetis as lEnactctj on tf)e ©uarterteck 
are 3£lecort)Eli in tijt's 
Folume. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



The First and the Last, ...... 9 

I. The Beginning of a Navv, . . . . . 13 

The outbreak of the Revolution — British fleet in Boston harbor — 
The lack of ammunition — Washington establishes the first navy yard 

— Captain Manly captures much-needed munitions of war — The 
navy re-organized — New American victories — The selection of Esek 
Hopkins as Commander-in-chief of the Navy. 

II. Esek Hopkins, ....... 23 

His parentage and ancestry — He becomes a prosperous trader — Com- 
mander-in-chief of the Colonial forces of Rhode Island — Commander- 
in-chief of the navy^ — His engagement with the Glasgow — The trouble 
with the privateers — He is summoned by Congress to answer for 

" Breach of Orders " — Dismissed from the service — His death. 

III. Lambert Wickes, . 43 

Commands ihe Reprisal — Engagement with the Shark — Captures two 
British brigs — Pursued by a line-of -battle ship — Reprisal foundered 
on the Banks of Newfoundland. 

IV. John Hazelwood, ....... 49 

Early career — A founder of the Saint George Society of Philadelphia 

— Sent to Philadelphia by Committee of Safety in July, 1776 — Be- 
comes commodore of the Pennsylvania navy on the Delaware — Receives 
a vote of thanks from the New York Assembly — His death. 

V. GusTAVus Connyngham, 51 

He takes command of the Surprise — Cz-^iwres two prizes — Is impris- 
oned and released — Captures more prizes — Is imprisoned in England 
and cruelly treated — Congress protests against inhumane treatment 
accorded American seamen. 
YI. John Paul Jones, ....... 55 

Parentage and childhood — Becomes master and supercargo of a trading 
vessel — Captures sixteen prizes in six weeks — Becomes commander of 
the Ranker — Engagement between the Drake &nA the Ranger — Takes 



II Tabic of Contents. 

I'ACE. 

command of the Bon Homme Richard — Engagement with the Scrapis 

— Brilliant victory for Jones — Honors awarded him in France — Re- 
ceives the thanks of congress — Becomes an admiral in the Russian navy 

— His unhappy death. 

VII. Richard Dale, 97 

Boyhood — Enters the Colonial navy — ^ First lieutenant under Jones on 

the Richard — Encounter with the Serapis — Encounter with the Iris 
and the General Monk — One of the six captains appointed for the naval 
establishment in June, 1794 — Commander of the Ganges — Resigns 
— His death. 

VIII. John Barry, it? 

His birth — Takes charge of the building of a naval fleet — Commander 

of the Lexington — Is given command of the Raleigh — Engagement 
with the Experiment and the Unicorn — Commands the Alliance — 
Engagement with the Atalanta — Engagement with the Sybil — Becomes 
senior ofificer of the Navy. 

IX. Nicholas Biddle, 127 

Parentage and ancestry — His service in the British navy — Offers his 
service to Continental Congress — Made commander of the Camden — 
Capture of New Providence — Encounter with the Glasgow — Made 
commander of the Randolph — The Randolph captures the True Briton 

— Biddle presented with medal by Congress — The Randolph and the 
Yarmouth — Biddle's untimely death. 

X. Joshua Barney, 14* 

His long service — Master's mate on Hornet — Second officer on Sachem 

— Captures privateer and made prize-master — First ofificer of the Vir- 
ginia — Lieutenant Barney leads boarding party and captures the 

Charming VI/(V/v — Commands the Hyder AH and captures the General 
Monk — Medal ordered by Congress — Enters the French navy — Com- 
mands United States gunboats in Chesapeake bay, 1813 — U. S. naval 
officer at Baltimore. 

XL James Nicholson, 148 

Succeeds Esek Hopkins as commander-in-chief — Early life — The 
Virginia blockaded — The Virginia captured — Commands the Trum- 
bull And engages the Watt — Combat with the Iris, an unknown British 
ship and the General Monk — Surrenders with thirty-two survivors — 
Held a prisoner till end of the war — Dies in New York city. 



Table of Contents. iir 



PAGE. 



XII. John Manly, . . . . . . . 153 

English birth — Captain in the Provincial navy — Commands the I.ec — 
Captures the Nancy with valuable military supplies — Commands the 
Hancock — Captured by the Rainbow — Commands the Romona- — ■ 
Captured and imprisoned in Barbadoes — Captain of the privateer jfason 
— Commands the frigate Hague — Retained in the naval establishment 
after peace — Dies in Boston. 

XIII. ALEX.4NDER Murray, . . . . . . 157 

Commands a merchant vessel at eighteen — Lieutenant in the Maryland 
navy — -Commands a fleet of forty vessels — Victorious engagement with 
two British vessels — Captured by a fleet of 150 British vessels — Ex- 
changed and returned to PhiladeTphia — Lieutenant on the Trumbull 

— Captures a British packet — Commands the Armenian fleet — Attacks 
the fort at New Providence — Lieutenant on the Alliance under Barry — • 
Captain in command of the Alonteziima — Commands the Insurgente — 
Cruises in the West Indies — Blockades the Vengeance — Commands 
the Consiella ti on — ^nconniex with the British frigate Magnanime — 
Blockades the port of Tripoli — Commanding officer of the Philadelphia 
station — Dies in 1821. 

XIV. Thomas Truxton, . . , . . . 169 
Birth and boyhood — Impressed on an English man-of-war — Lieutenant 

on the Congress — Commands the Independence — Captures valuable 
prizes — Fits out the Mars — Cruises in the English Channel — One 
of the first six captains in the new naval establishment, 1794 — Super- 
intends the building of the Constitution — Engagement with the In- 
surgente — Encounter with the Vengeance — Receives a gold medal 
from Congress — Commands the West Indian squadron — Retires from 
the navy — Dies at Philadelphia. 

XV. Edward Preble, . . . . . . . 1S3 

Birth and parentage- — Becomes a sailor — Midshipman in 1779 — First 

sea tight with the Admiral Duff — Lieutenant on the Winthrop — 
Boards an English armed brig — Becomes a ship-master — Promoted 
captain and given command of the Essex — Voyage to Batavia — Com- 
mands the Constitution — In 1803 takes command of a fleet of seven 
vessels for the Mediterranean service — Incident in Tangier bay — Preble 
declares the blockade of Tripoli — The fight off Tripoli — A second as- 
sault — The John Adams\om% the squadron — A third attack — Preble 
obtains leave to return home — Preble receives a medal from Congress ■ — 
His death in Portland, Mains — Honors from the government and 
friends. 



IV Tabic of Contents. 



TAGE. 



XVI. Stephen Decatur, 207 

Born in Maryland — A midshipman on the United States — Joins the 
Norfolk — The Essex — His daring expedition on the Intrepid in the 
harbor of Tripoli — Destroys the Philadelphia — The attack on Tripoli 

— Decatur takes two prizes — Commands the Constitution- — Later com- 
mands the United States — In charge of the Southern squadron — 
Captures the Swallow — Engagement with the British frigate Macedon- 
ian — Ordered to the President — Commands a squadron in the Medi- 
terranean — Engagement with the Algerine frigate Alashouda — Nego- 
tiates a treaty with the Bey of Algiers — Ordered home with the Cuerriere 

— Dies in Washington. 

XVII. William Bainbridge, . . . . . . 233 

Parentage and ancestry — Mate of the ship Hope — Quells a mutiny 

— Commissioned Lieutenant — Commander LT. S. N. — ^ Commands the 
Retaliation — Attacked and captured by the French frigate InsKrgente 

— Imprisoned at (iuadaloupe — Returns to the United States after three 
months — Sails for Algiers in command of the L^. S. frigate George 
Washington ■ — • Attached to Dale's squadron cruising against the Barbary 

states: — Commands the Philadelphia — Captures the Moorish cruiser 
Meshboha — Vanquished by a Tripolitan fleet — commands the New 
York naval station — Commandant of the Charlestown Navy Yard — 
Commands the Constitution — .Engagement with the Java — Receives 
money and a gold medal from Congress — Commands the Charlestown 
Navy Yard — Dies in Philadelphia. 

XVIII. Richard Somers, 253 

A sailor from his youth — Midshipman in the navy- — ^ Cruise under 
Barry on the United States — Commands the A^rt///?7//j — Attached to 
Preble's squadron in the Mediterranean — • Preble plans to burn the 
Tripolitan fleet with a fire-ship— Somers commands the Intrepid, selected 
as the fire-ship — Somers and his brave crew meet an untimely death. 

XVII L?. The Navy in the War of 181 2, . . . 259 

The position of the English navy — The impressment of American 
sailors — The encounter between the American frigate President and 
the British sloop-of-war little Belt- — ^War declared by Congress — The 
navy inadequate. 

XIX. John Roix;ers, . . . . . . . 263 

Apprenticed to the merchant marine service — Executive officer on the 
Constellation — Engagement between the Constellation and the Insi/r- 



Tabic of Contents. v 

PAGE. 

genie — Rodgers placed in charge of the transfer of prisoners — Boards 
the Insurgente with thirteen men — Keeps 173 prisoners in subjection — 
Receives a silver medal from Congress- — Assigned to the John Ac/ams 

— Captures a Moorish ship and destroys a Tripolitan corsair — Secures 
from the Bashaw of Tripoli a treaty abolishing the payment of tribute — 
Commands the Atlantic home squadron — Engagement with the Little 
Belt — Captures twenty-three prizes in four cruises — Declines the port- 
folio of the navy in 1814 — Naval Commissioner— Dies in Philadelphia. 

XX. Isaac Hull, . . . . . . . . 269 

Commander of a ship at nineteen — Lieulennnl in the I'nited States Navy 

— Captain in command of the Constitution — Chased by a British squad- 
ron — Captures the Giicrricrc, the first victory of the "War of 181 2 — A 
gold medal from Congress — Serves on the Naval Board — Commands 
navy yards — Dies in Philadelphia. 

XXI. Jacob Jones, . . . . . . . 277 

Ancestry — On the Philadelphia under Bainbridge — Imprisoned at 
Tripoli — Captain in command of the Wasp — Engagement with the 
Frolic — Captured by the Poictiers — Honors from Congress — Com- 
mands the JMacedoiiian — Commissary of the naval board and governor 
of the Philadelphia Naval Asylum — Dies in 1850. 

XXII. Charles Morris, ...... 285 

The l)oy midshipman — Voyage in the Congress — One of the volun- 
teers to capture or burn the Philadelphia — Executive officer on the 
Constitution during her engagement with the C^ijrmTt' — Captain in 
command of \.\\& John Adams- — Attack of the British fleet — Morris 
fires his ship and marches the men to Portland — Commands the gulf 
squadron — Naval Commissioner — Chief of the Bureau of Ordnance 
and Hydrography — Dies in Washington. 

XXIII. William Henry Allen, ..... 291 

Birth and parentage — A midshipman in the navy in iSoo — Third lieu- 
tenant in the Chesapeake — First lieutenant on the United States — 
Engagement with the Macedonian — Assigned to the Argus — Action 
between \.\\e Afgus znd the /WeVrt//-— Allen dies in an Enghsh prison 
hospital. 

XXIV. David Porter, ...... 303 

First voyage in his father's ship — Twice impressed on board an 
English ship — Commands the Amphitrite — First lieutenant of the 



VI Table of Contents. 

PAGE. 

Experiment — Imprisoned in Tripoli — Commands the Enterprise — 
Commands a flotilla on the New Orleans station — Engagement with 
the Alert — Appointed Commissioner of the Navy — Commands an 
expedition to suppress piracy in the West Indies — Court-martialed — 
Resigns — Appointed consul-general at Algiers — Dies near Constan- 
tinople, Turkey. 

XXV. James Barron, 32 1 

A lieutenant on the United States — Commands the Essex — Transferred 
to the President — Promoted commodore and hoists his broad pennant 
on the Chesapeake — Engagement with the Leopard — Court martialed 
— -Employed in the French navy — Duel with Decatur — Dies in 
Norfolk, Va. 

XXVI. James Biddle, . . . . . . . 327 

A midshipman on the Philadelphia under Bainbridge — Imprisoned in 
■ Tripoli — Commands the Hornet — The engagement between the Hornet 
and the Penguin — Commands the Pacific squadron — Formally takes 
possession of Oregon in the name of the United States — - Governor of the 
Naval Asylum at Philadelphia — Flag-officer of the East India squadron 

— Negotiates the first treaty ever made between the United States and 
China — In command on the California coast — Dies in Philadelphia. 

XXVII. William Burrows, . . . . . . 339 

Midshipman on the Portsmouth — Acting lieutenant on the Constitution 
during the Tripolitan War — Serves on the President and the Hornet — 
Commander of the Enterprise — Captures the Boxer — Mortally wounded 

— Congress presents a gold medal to his nearest male relative. 

XXVIII. John Gushing Aylwin, 345 

Parentage and early education — Enters the British navy — Leaves the 
service and enters on board a trading vessel — Removes to Boston — 
Sailing-master of the frigate Constitution — ^ Capture of the "Java — 
Death of Aylwin. 

XXIX. The Navy on the Lakes, . . . . 349 

XXX. Oliver Hazard Perry, 351 

Midshipman at twelve — Serves in the Tripolitan War — Comm ander 

of a fleet of seventeen gun-boats — Master of the Revenge — Master- 
commandant of the new fleet — Engagement with the English fleet — 
The two encounters — Presented with the thanks of Congress, a sword 
and a gold medal — In command of the Java — Dies of yellow fever* 



Table of Contents. vii 

PAGE. 

XXXI. Isaac Chauncy, 361 

Distinguished parentage — Commissioned a lieutenant on the organiza- 
tion of the navy — Commands the Chesapeake — Transferred to the Xe-.u 
York — Fits out the John Adams for the Mediterranean — Organizer and 
commander of the Navy-yard at Brooklyn — Commands the navy on the 
Lakes in the War of 1812 — Engagement with the Royal George — 
Assigned to the command of the Mediterranean squadron — Negotiates 
with the Dey of Algiers — Commandant of the Brooklyn Navy Yard 

— President of the board of Naval Commissioners — Dies in Washington . 

XXXII. Jesse Duncan Elliott, . . . . . 373 

Born in Maryland — Midshipman on the Essex — Lieutenant on the 
Chesapeake — Transferred to the Jin/erprise — Ca.ptures the Detroit and 
Caledonia — Engages in the capture of York — The battle of Lake Erie 

— A gold medal from Congress — Commands the Ontario and later 
the Cyane — Commandant of the Philadelphia Navy Yard — Dies in 
Philadelphia. 

XXXIII. Thomas Macdonough, 377 

Early experiences — In command of the naval forces in Lake Champlain 

— Engagement there with the English invaders — Commodore Mac- 
donough takes a hand in the fight — Victory for the Americans — Ad- 
vanced and given command of Mediterranean squadron — His death. 

XXXIV. David Conner, 385 

Ancestry and birth — Third lieutenant on the Hornet in 1812 — Conner 
made first lieutenant — Honors from Congress — Becomes a naval com- 
missioner — Chief of Bureau of Construction — Appointed commodore 
of West India squadron — Important service in Mexican War — Co- 
operation with army against Vera Cruz — Becomes a member of the 
Society of the Cincinnati — His death. 

XXXV. Samuel Chester Reid, . . . . . 393 
His distinguished ancestry — Induced to take command of the General 
Armstrong — The battle of Fayal — Remarkable letter from the American 
consul — A second charge — Captain Reid, after strong defense, sinks 

his vessel to prevent capture — National honors — Captain Reid invents 
the marine telegraph — The close of a brilliant and noble career. 

XXXVI. The Navy in the Civil War, . . . 421. 
The new navy and the revolution in motive power — New means and 
modes of battle — Unreadiness in i86i — The first mission of the navy — 
Preparations for the great blockade — Description in detail of the 



\iir Tabic of Contents. 

I'AGE. 

navy — The courage, ability and devolion evinced during the conflict — 
What was done on sea and river. 

XXXVII. Henry Walke 431 

The tirst serious event — Commander Walke assigned a ditficult task — 
Court-martialed — His service in the Mexican War — He takes command 
of the Taylor \\\ 1861 — The battle of Belmont — Convoying Grant's 
expedition — Battle of Fort Henry — Battle of Fort Donaldson — At 
Fort Pillow — Promoted to the rank of captain — Commodore and later 
Admiral. ■;, 

XXXVIII. David Glasgow Farragut, .... 445 
Educated for the naval service — Midshipman at ten — Thrilling experi- 
ences on the Essex — Commissioned lieutenant — His part in the Mexi- 
can War — Commissioned again in 1862 — Runs the batteries of Vicks- 
burg — Commissioned rear-admiral — Reduction of Port Hudson — 
Raised to the grade of vice-admiral, created by Congress — Still higher 
rank of admiral created for him — Commands the European squadron — 
His death. 

XXXIX. Silas Horton Stringham, .... 459 

A midshipman at twelve — Serves in the War of 181 2 — Promoted 
lieutenant — Takes partin the War with Algiers — Transferred to the 
Cyane engaged in the suppression of the African slave trade — Commands 
the Hornet — Commissioned captain and commands the Ohio in the 
I'acific squadron — Service in the Mexican War — Commands the Medi- 
terranean squadron — co-operates with General Butler's land forces in 
the capture of Forts Hatteras and Clarke — Returns with his fleet to 
Fort Monroe- — Commissioned rear-admiral. 

Xr.. William Barker Clshing, ..... 463 

Rumors of the Confederate iron-clad ram Albemarle — Her engagement 
with the Federal gun-boats — Gushing volunteers to destroy the mon- 
ster — The sinking of the Albemarle — Honors from Congress — Cush- 
ing's birth and parentage — Appointed a cadet at Annapolis — The 
Civil War — Captures a tobacco schooner — Durected to capture Jackson- 
ville, North Carolina, intercept the Wilmington mail, and destroy the 
salt works — His service in the attacks on Fort Fisher — Promoted 
commander. 

XLI. Stephen Clegg Rowan, ..... 469 

Of Irish birth — Enters the United States Navy — Servos in Seminole 
War— (^n the coast survey — The Mexican War — Captures twenty 



Table of Contents. ix 



TAGE. 



blockade-runners — Inspector of Ordnance — Commands the Paivnee. 
Joins Stringham in the expedition to Hatteras — I'ursues the Con- 
federates into Albemarle Sound — Receives the thanks of Congress 
and commissioned captain and commodore — Promoted rear-admiral 
and made commander-in-chief of the Asiatic squadron — Promoted 
vice-admiral and commands the Brooklyn Navy Yard. 

XLII. John Lorimer Worden, ..... 475 

Birth and education — In command of \.\\& Monitor — The destruction 
of the Merrimac — His great courage — In command of the iron- 
clad Montauk — Attacks Fort McAllister — Further service in Ameri- 
can and European waters — Commissioned rear-admial. 

XLIII. John Adolph Dahlgren, ..... 485 
The importance of the "Dahlgren Shell Gun" in the Civil War — 
Dahlgren's birth and training — In the coast survey service — 'Win- 
ning promotions in the Mexican War — Becomes Chief of Ordnance — 
A valued adviser of President Lincoln — In command of South Atlantic 
blockading squadron as rear-admiral — His published works. 

XLIV. Charles Henry Davis, . . . . . 491 
His boyhood in the navy — Made lieutenant — Important work in the 
coast survey service — The stirring scenes of the battle of Fort Pillow 
Flag-ofificer Davis takes possession of the fort — The engagement at 
Memphis — Up the White River — Farragut, Davis and Porter co- 
operate — Davis commissioned commodore — Chief of the Bureau of 
Navigation — Made rear-admiral — Important services after the Civil 
War. 

XLV. Franklin Buchanan, . . . . . . 507 

Enters the United States Navy at fifteen — The first superintendent 
of the Naval Academy at Annapolis — Commands the Gennantown in 
the siege of Vera Cruz — Made captain and commander of the Wash- 
ington Navy Yard — Offers his services to the Confederacy — The rank 
of admiral — Gives battle to Farragut — Prisoner of war. 

XLVI. Raphael Semmes, . . . . . . 513 

Birth and education — Commands the United States brig Soiner.< — 
Enters the service of the Southern Confederacy — Takes command of 
the Sumter — Subsequent career unique in the history of the world — 
Takes command of the Alabama- — Ships plundered and burned — 
English syndicate formed — Semmes captures sixty-three American ves- 
sels in two years — The Alabama finally sighted in the harbor of 
Cherbourg — Semmes refuses to escape by flight — The Alabama sinks 



X Table of Contents. 

PAGE. 

— Semmes lionized in London — Is made rear-admiral of the Con- 
federate navy — Semmes becomes a lawyer and a judge — His books. 

XLVII. The Navy in the War with Spain, . . 519 

The opening of the conflict — Spain's equipment — The events which 
decided the issue of the war- — A lesson to the world — The tribute of 
Secretary Long to the American Navy. 

XLVIII. Charles Edgar Clark, 523 

Voyage of the Oregon from San Francisco to Key West — Clark's birth 
and ancestry — Appointed a cadet at Annapolis — The Civil War 

— First sea service under Farragut — On board the Sewanee when that 
vessel was wrecked — Rescued by British ships — Captain of the Mare 
Island Navy Yard — Commands the Independence, the Monterey and 
finally the Oregon — Service in the W^ar with Spain. 

XI>IX. George Dewey, 529 

Birth, parentage and school days — Appointed a cadet at the United 
States Naval Academy — The Civil War — Lieutenant Dewey on 
the Mississippi — The battle at Port Hudson — Dewey with the gun- 
boat Flotilla engaging the Confederates below Donaldsonville — The 
attacks on Fort Fisher — Commissioned lieutenant-commander — 
Placed in command of ihe. Narragansett — Promoted captain — Com- 
mands the European squadron — 'Chief of the Bureau of Equipment and 
Recruiting with the rank of commodore — Commissioned commodore 

— Placed in command of the Asiatic squadron Jan. I, 1S98 — Dewey 
ordered to the Philippines — The enemy's vessels destroyed — ■ Dewey's 
official report. 

L. William Thomas Sampson, . . . . . 547 
Boyhood — Graduates from Annapolis — Commissioned lieutenant — 
Executive officer of the Patapscom 1865 — Subsequent promotions — 
Superintendent of the United States Naval Academy — Chief of the 
Bureau of Ordnance — Acting rear-admiral, commanding the North 
Atlantic fleet operating in Cuban waters in 1898 — Destroys the 
Spanish fleet of Admiral Cervera off Santiago — Letter from Secretary 
Long. 

LI. Winfield ScoiT ScHLEv, . . . . . 553 

Of German ancestry — Born at the home of General Winfield Scott — 
Educated at a Catholic school — Graduated from the United Stat-os 
Naval Academy — His subsequent promotions — Leader of the Greely 
relief expedition — Chief of the Bureau of Equipment — Commissioned 



Table of Contents. xi 



PAGE. 



captain — Commands the new cruiser Baltimore — Service during the 
trouble in Chili — Promoted commodore and placed in command of 
the North Atlantic flying squadron in 1898 — The destruction of Cer- 
vera's fleet — Schley's report. 

LI I. ROBLEY DUNGLISON EVANS, 56 1 

Born in Virginia — His promotions in the navy — On board the frigate 
Powhatan — Wounded at Fort Fisher — Sails for China in 1866 — 
Navigator of the Shenandoah — Executive officer of the Co7tgress — 
Equipment officer at the Washington Navy Yard — Superintends the 
construction of the battleship Maine — Commands the BehringSea fleet 

— Assigned to the Nezu York and later to the Indiana — His service 
in the War with Spain and his part in the destruction of Cervera's fleet 
• — Official report. 

LI II. Richard Wainwright, . . . . . 567 

Son of a naval officer — Promotions in the navy — Executive officer of 
the battleship Maine — The destruction of the Maine — Wainwright 
commands the Gloucester — Joins Sampson's fleet — Wainwright's story 
of the battle at Santiago. 

LI\'. Richmond Pearson Hobson, . , . . 574 

Of distinguished ancestry — Life at Annapolis — Graduated at the 
head of his class — Assistant naval constructor — Instructor at the 
Naval Academy — Assigned to Sampson's flagship, the Neiu York — 
The plan to block the harbor — Hobson's story of the sinking of the 
Merrimac — A prisoner in Morro Castle — His subsequent service in 
raising the Maria Teresa, the Christobal Colon and the Vizcaya — 
President Mclvinley's letter to Congress. 

lA . Worth Bagley, . . . . . . . 584 

His distinguished ancestors — His character and personality — Prepares 
for the University of North Carolina — Enters the Naval Academy — 

— Promoted ensign — Serves on the Indiana and the Maine — 
Second in command of the torpedo boat Winslozu — Heroic act in 
saving the lives of two sailors — Received a letter of thanks from the 
Secretary of the Navy — The Winslow and three other small boats 
attempt to silence the Spanish boats at Cardenas — The Winslow 
disabled — -The Hudson attempts to rescue her — Bagley and two 
men instantly killed — Bagley's body carried to his home — Impressive 
funeral exercises in Washington. 



THE FIRST AND THE LAST. 



American Naval Heroes constitute a notable 
galaxy of brave men who have contributed a remark- 
able record to the pages of American history. 

The exploits and sacrifices of the sailors of 1898 
add lustre to this record, and show that steel ships, 
breach-loading guns and steam propulsion, have in 
no way impaired the supremacy of American courage, 
skill, discipline and coolness in naval warfare. Blood 
and training told in 1778 and in 1898. Sails and 
wooden vessels and eighteen-pounder smoothbores 
in 1 778, did not make heroes any more than did steam, 
and electricity, and steel armor, and rapid-fire guns in 
1898. Machines cannot be made to do effective 
fighting unless directed by intelligence and sustained 
by skill and courage. Money may purchase fighting 
machines but money can never buy American sailors 
to direct the machines under any flag except the Stars 
and Stripes. It was John Paul Jones fighting under 
the American flag who vanquished the British com- 
mander of the Ccrapis, and it was George Dewey 
fighting under the same flag who destroyed the Span- 
ish fleet in Manila harbor. It is to tell over the never 
old story of the successive brilliant deeds of American 
naval heroes, from Hopkins, Dale, Jones and Barry 



TO The First afid tJie Last. 

in 1778, to Bagley, Hobson, Schley, Sampson and 
Dewey in 1898, that this book is given to the world. 

The history of a ship, the history of a battle, the 
history of an army, or the history of a navy tells the 
story of many lives, of many deeds, of concerted action, 
of cause and effect, produced by conditions planned 
with reference to a desired end, and wrought out by a 
succession of instruments called men. These men do 
not interest the government they represent except as 
they work out the result sought to be accomplished. 
The individuality is lost in the machinery of science. 
Each man is a cog in the great wheel ; he fits a place, 
and if he does his duty the machine moves and does 
its work. If he is a coward or a traitor the ring of a 
pistol in the hand of his superior drops him out, and 
another man supplies his place. If the man stands 
heroically at his post, doing his duty to the last, and 
then falls by the bullet of the enemy, a companion is 
ready to be the cog, and without a moment's delay the 
machinery moves on. So history can be written and 
the story of the American Navy can be told imperson- 
ally. The ship, or the fleet, or the nation is the hero, 
if ships, or fleets, or nations are ever heroic. 

But such a narrative does not fire the imagination, 
excite sympathy, or make others willing and anxious 
to become admirals, captains, boatswains, engineers, 
stokers or powder-monkeys. It is not the admiral, 
but Farragut and Porter and Dewey. It is not the 
commodore, but Paul Jones and Biddle and Perry and 



The First and the Last. 



1 1 



Schley. It is not the captain, but Dale and Truxton 
and Gushing and Hobson. It is not the officer or 
rank, but the man, the individual, the name, that lives. 
Thus it is that a story is woven around a person. A 
battle is the victory of one man, the defeat of another. 
A naval fight is a Jones, and not a battered and 
sinking Bern Houime Richard ; a Dewey, and not a 
bloodless decked Olympia. 

This is why we have chosen to tell the stories 
of men and to make a record of their acts which the 
student of history may easily weave into narrative, and 
the narrative into history. We make a record of 
personal daring prompted by a noble motive in behalf 
of a good cause. It is personality directed by intelli- 
gence and subservient to discipline. Our stories 
have to do with the men, and what they did, and how 
they took advantage of their opportunities to conquer 
an enemy, to prevent a defeat, to carry out a com- 
mand, to obey an order unquestioning and thus per- 
chance to gain immortality as heroes. The individual 
glorifies his work, and if true to duty is glorified by it. 

This book illuminates history by painting the por- 
traits that make up the gallery of heroes. Its succes- 
sion of biographies is not only a history of the 
American navy, but the stirring story of brave deeds 
that created American heroes. It is a noble roll-call 
from first to last. We have omitted many names, not 
that they do not deserve a place, but that no one book 
can hold a record of them all. 



AMERICAN NAVAL HEROES. 



I. 

THE BEGINNING OF A NAVY. 



The Continental army had been placed under the 
command of General Washington, who had established 
his, headquarters at Cambridge, Mass. The battles of 
Lexington and Bunker Hill had been fought, and the 
first blood shed in freedom's cause had become the 
seed of an American republic. The colonists who 
made up the American army were rebels to the British 
crown, but patriots in the cause of freedom. 

In Boston harbor was assembled a formidable fleet 
of English ships of war, all well manned, and the city 
was occupied by an army of 13,600 English soldiers. 
Supporting these was this naval force of over i ,000 
marines manning a fleet which comprised the Boyne, 
64 guns ; Preston, 50 guns ; Scarborough, 20 guns ; 
Summit, 64 guns; Cerberus, 36 guns; Glasgow, 24 
guns ; Lively, 20 guns, and the Falcon and Symmetry, 
with 18 9-pounders each; besides the usual barges and 
smaller craft that make up a well-equipped naval 
squadron. Of these the swiftest cruisers were kept 
busy along the coast from Falmouth to New London, 
pillaging the towns to supply the English army with 
provisions. Gloucester, Bristol and Falmouth had 



14 American Naval Heroes. 

been sacked, and when the inhabitants, forced to 
give up their stores of provisions, refused to surrender 
their arms, the towns were bombarded and burned. 
This conduct outraged pubHc sentiment, and retribu- 
tive measures were instituted by the colonists. The 
Provincial Congress of Massachusetts appointed a naval 
board and proposed to fit out six swift sailing schooners 
as cruisers. Rhode Island and Connecticut each fitted 
out two similar schooners to protect their coasts. 

Washington readily encouraged these efforts, and 
saw in the movement a possibility of providing a most 
pressing need of his army — a supply of arms and 
ammunition. He had notified the Continental Con- 
gress of this need and had urged the immediate neces- 
sity for help. His letter stated: "I am in great want 
of powder, lead, mortars — indeed most sorts of mili- 
tary stores." 

The manufacture of gunpowder in the colonies was 
limited to the few rudely constructed powder-houses 
located in out-of-the-way places, and amounted to an 
annual product that did not meet the demand in times 
of peace, the bulk of the supply being obtained from 
Europe. At Bunker Hill the American soldiers had 
soon exhausted their supply of powder and shot. 
Scraps of iron and lead had served as substitutes for 
bullets, and were defiantly hurled against the advanc- 
ing enemy with the last charge of powder in their 
horns, ere the men fell back, permitting the English 
troops to intrench themselves on the battle-field. 



The Beginning of a Navy. 1 5 

Each incoming English vessel was heavily laden 
with arms, ammunition and commissary stores for the 
use of the army. To appropriate these supplies to 
meet the needs of the Provincial troops was the motive 
that gave birth to the first Continental navy. 

New England was at this time rich in bold and hardy 
men who since boyhood had followed the sea in the 
merchant-marine and fishing service. Their largest 
vessels were but small schooners and sloops, but they 
were celebrated for their speed, as were their skip- 
pers for the skill with which they handled them. 

The war had called into the army many of the 
ablest of these seamen who never dreamed of the possi- 
bility of serving the cause of independence on the sea. 
In the docks at Salem, Gloucester, Marblehead, Bev- 
erly and Plymouth the crafts were idle from the 
absence. of their owners and crews, the trade having 
been closed by the war. 

Washington directed Colonel James Glover and 
Muster-Master-General Moyland of the Continental 
army to co-operate with the Board of Admiralty ap- 
pointed by the Congress of Massachusetts, and the 
Lynch and the Franklin were fitted with an armament 
of four 4-pounders and ten swivel guns each. They 
were manned by fifty men, drafted mostly from the 
army. To their commanders were issued letters of 
marque and reprisal. The cruisers were supplied 
from the stores of the army with twenty rounds of 
ammunition for each gun — all that could possibly be 



i6 



American Naval Heroes. 




spared. These two small crafts set out under the 
command of Captain Ezekiel Broughton, of Marble- 
head, who received the first naval commission issued 
by the Continental Congress. It was signed by 
George Washington as its agent. 

The Hancock, the Lee, and 
the Warren rapidly followed 
under Captains Manley, Coit, 
and Adams. These vessels all 
sailed under the pine-tree flag. 
This flag was of white bunting, 
on which was painted a green 
pine-tree, and upon the reverse 
the motto, "Appeal to Heaven." 

Washington established at Plymouth the first Amer- 
ican navy-yard, where the schooner Harrison and the 
brigantine Washijigton were fitted out. The Wash- 
ington was the first ambitious product of the American 
navy. She mounted ten carriage-guns, which had 
been brought by wagons and boats from Bristol, R. I. 
Her commander, Captain Martindale, undertook to 
equip her as a man-of-war. General Washington 
discouraged the undertaking and deplored the delay 
caused by the ambition of her commander. At this 
time he defined his policy as to the use of the infant 
navy, which was to seize incoming merchantmen laden 
with stores intended for the use of the English army, 
rather than to engage in sea-fights with British men- 
of-war. 



The Beginni7ig of a Navy. 1 7 

Before Congress had time to respond to the 
appeal of the commander-in-chief for munitions of 
war, and just as he had the discouraging news of 
the capture of the Washington by a British frigate 
but a few hours after leaving Plymouth, news came from 
Cape Ann of the arrival of Captain Manley with the 
Lee, having in convoy the British brigantine Nancy, 
with 2,000" muskets and bayonets, 31 tons of musket 
shot. 3,000 cannon-balls for 12-pounders, 8,000 fuzees, 
50 carcasses adapted to firing buildings in besieged 
towns, and one 13-inch mortar, besides a large supply 
of gunpowder and stores. 

This news gave great joy to the discouraged army 
at Cambridge, and the patriots turned out in a body 
to help unload the prize. Captain Manley had sup- 
plied the very articles enumerated by General Wash- 
ington in his letter to Congress, and in conveying to 
that body the good news, the commander-in-chief 
added, addressing the president: " I sincerely congrat- 
ulate you, sir, on this great acquisition; it more than 
repays all that has been spent in fitting out the 

squadron." 

The captured mortar was placed in the artillery 
park at Cambridge, and General Washington named 
it " Congress." 

Captain Manley did not long remain idle, but 
followed up his success by bringing in three other 
valuable prizes in less than a week. For these^ ser- 
vices he received from Congress a place on the list of 



1 8 American Naval Heroes. 

Continental captains, and was given command of a 
frigate. The Lynch and Franklin returned about this 
time with well-laden prizes, and Captain Broughton 
shared with Manley the honors of the naval successes. 
The Harrison, Captain Coit, also gave a good account 
of her first cruise, having captured and brought into 
port a valuable cargo. 

Early in 1775 the enterprising shipowners of Rhode 
Island, seeing the possibility of a market for large 
quantities of gunpowder in the colonies, had loaded 
two vessels with rum at Newport and despatched 
them to the coast of Africa where the rum was ex- 
changed with the garrisons of the British forts along 
the coast for gunpowder. The thrifty Yankee skip- 
pers drove so close a bargain with the garrisons 
that they obtained the very last ounce of powder in 
their magazines. This supply, added to that captured 
by the navy, soon enabled Washington to begin offen- 
sive movements. 

In February, 1776, the navy was reorganized — if 
it could be said to have been organized before — and 
Captain Manley was made Commodore of the fleet, 
which was made up of the Hancock as flagship ; the 
Warren, Captain Burke ; the Lynch, Captain Ayres ; 
and the Harrison, Captain Dyer. After the British 
had evacuated Boston the Franklin passed to the 
command of Captain James Mugford, of Marblehead, 
who had been a seaman from his boyhood. On his 
first voyage he captured the British ship Hope just 



The Beginning of a Navy. 1 9 

outside the harbor of Boston and within sight of the 
EngUsh squadron anchored there. When the Hope was 
brought to, and Captain Mugford and his boarding 
party reached the deck, the Enghsh captain ordered 
his sailors to cut the topsail halliards, hoping in 
this way to delay the progress of the vessel and 
enable the British squadron to recapture her. Follow- 
ing this command came Mugford's stern and deter- 
mined threat to cut down the first man who undertook 
to carry out the order. The British officers and men 
did not move, and the ship was safely brought into 
Boston with her cargo of 1,500 barrels of gunpowder. 
A few days afterward Captain Mugford in running 
out of the harbor accidentally grounded the Franklin, 
and the English squadron sent out boats to capture 
her. On their attempting to board, the English 
seamen were met with Yankee cutlasses, and many 
a poor fellow left his hands on the Franklin, while his 
body dropped into the sea. The brave Mugford was 
in the hottest of the fight until a bullet from the 
enemy pierced his body. Turning to his lieutenant 
he said, " I am a dead man ; do not give up the vessel ; 
you will be able to beat them off." He fell back life- 
less, but the remaining officers and crew saved the 

ship. 

The exploits of Captains Broughton, Manley, 
Adams, Coit, Chew, Waters and Mugford became 
the chief topics of public interest in the colonies, and 
the story of their valor even reached England. Wash- 



20 Americaji Naval Heroes. 

ington's army had been placed on a war-footing 
through the successes of the new navy, and the results 
accomplished by so small a fleet caused the enemy no 
little concern. The colonies were really in earnest 
and England saw that if these Yankee pirates, as they 
termed them, were not checked, the ocean would soon 
swarm with their little swift-sailing crafts and a com- 
plete embargo would be placed on commerce. 

Shipowners and consignees known to be in sym- 
pathy with the cause of the colonists were protected 
by the new government, and their vessels and cargoes 
released, but the property of loyalists and all goods 
contraband of war were confiscated and sold, the gov- 
ernment sharing the prize-money with the officers and 
crews. 

In the Continental Congress the chief supporters 
of the movement towards establishing an efficient 
navy were John Adams, justly called the "Father of 
the American Navy", Stephen Hopkins, Silas Dean, 
and Robert Morris, all members of the Marine Com- 
mittee. 

In the fall of 1795 Congress fitted out the Lexing- 
ton and the Providence, followed by the Alfred and 
the Columbus. They also purchased the Andrea 
Doria and the Cabot. These constituted the first 
Continental navy. Its armament was as follows : the 
Lexington, Captain John Barry, 16 guns; the Alfred, 
Captain Saltonstall, 24 guns ; the Columbus, Captain 
Whipple, 16 guns; the Andrea Doria, Captain Nich- 



The Beginning of a Navy. 2 i 

olas Biddle, 14 guns ; and the Cabot, Captain John B. 
Hopkins, 14 guns. At this time the British navy 
ruled the sea, and comprised 100 Hne-of-battle ships, 
150 frigates, and 300 smaller vessels. Before the end 
of the Revolutionary war she had 250,000 trained 
seamen in her service. Their line-of-l^attle ships 
were immense structures, with from two to four gun- 
decks and carrying 64 to 100 guns. The frigates 
had but one deck, and carried an additional battery on 
the spar deck. They served as scouts or outposts. 
The smaller vessels called "brig-ships" and "sloop- 
ships," were square rigged with two and three masts, 
and carried 20 guns. 

England could at this time have sung her after- 
ward famous boasting song so popular in 1874-80: 

" We don't want to fight, but hy Jingo if we do, 
We've got the ships, we've got the men, we've got the money too." 

It became a question of considerable moment with 
Congress as to the selection of a commander-in-chief 
for the American navy. Nicholas Biddle, a young 
midshipman who had seen much service in the Royal 
navy, and had resigned when the colonists declared 
war to give his services to his country, was the only 
skilled officer available who had seen actual service. 
The Board of Admiralty thought him too young, as he 
was at the tirrie scarcely twenty-five. As the navy 
needed money as well as trained officers, the choice 
for commander-in-chief fell upon Esek Hopkins, a 



2 2 American Naval Heroes. 

brother of Stephen Hopkins, who was a member 
of the board, one of the few wealthy delegates to 
the Continental Congress and the oldest signer of 
the Declaration of Independence except Benjamin 
Franklin. 

As this selection and the subsequent difficulties 
that arose between the naval committee of the Conti- 
nental Congress and Admiral Hopkins gave rise to 
much discussion, we will tell the story guided by the 
letters and other data preserved by the family and by 
the Rhode Island Historical Society. 



II. 

ESEK HOPKINS. 

"The fame of the f^rst admiral of the American Navy has suffered an eclipse 
almost total, while other men who were materially helped to do what they did 
through his exertions, have filled much larger places in the Naval history of the 
Revolution."— y?o/w-/ Grieve in New Enghuid Magazine. 

Esek Hopkins was born in Chopmist, Scituate, 
R. I., April 26, 1718. He was the son of William 
Hopkins, a farmer, and the great-grandson of Thomas 
Hopkins, one of the original proprietors of Providence 
Plantations, who had followed Roger Williams from 
England about 1640. 

Esek's brother William was a sea captain and did 
some privateering during the French and Spanish 
wars, and another brother, Stephen, was governor of 
Rhode Island, chief justice, delegate to the Continental 
Congress and a signer of the Declaration of Indepen- 
denc'e. Thus, Esek belonged to one of the most 
distinguished families of Rhode Island. He gained a 
superior education for his time and environment and 
like all ambitious boys of his day, saw no way to pro- 
motion except through sea service. Inspired by his 
brother William's example, he shipped early in life, 
gaining some experience as a sailor. Notwithstanding 
this ex^perience he shipped in 1738 as a "raw hand" 
on a vessel bound for Surinam and before long became 
commander of the craft. His fame as a sailor and 



24 American Naval Heroes. 

marine navigator extended along the entire coast, as 
did his renown as a trader. He was not forty years 
of age when he commanded a fleet of seventeen vessels 
owned by the Hopkins family, and while one war 
after another robbed him of his profits and of many of 
his ships, he took advantage of the tide in the affairs 
of government to make good every loss, and was 
credited with an ample fortune gained by trading and 
privateering. On November 28, 1741, he was married 
to Desire, daughter of Ezekiel Burroughs, a leading 
merchant of Newport, Rhode Island. At this period 
Newport was a far more important seaport than either 
Boston or New York. The place had a population of 
7000 who lived by following the sea, and with the rich 
merchantmen of the French and Spanish to prey upon, 
and with skippers, bold and able as seamen and brave 
and ready in boarding a prize, it is no wonder that in 
1745 more than twenty rich prizes were brought into 
the harbor. The operations of many of the Newport 
merchants were little less than piracy, and the right 
of the stronger to capture the weaker overruled any 
question of nationality, when a rich prize was in sight. 
This freebooting practice of the sea-faring residents of 
Newport did not extend to other walks of life nor did 
it infect all sea captains. Some drew the line rigidly 
between lawful privateering and indiscriminate free- 
booting, and Captain Esek Hopkins was one of these. 
In 1755 he removed to Providence and purchased a 
farm upon which he resided during the remainder of 



Esek Hopkins. 25 

his life. He represented Providence in the general 
assembly from October, 1762, to May, 1764. 

When the Seven Years' War began, the year after 
his removal to Providence, he fitted out one of his 
vessels as a privateer and went upon a cruise, taking 
command of the vessel. He named his first prize 
Desire, after his wife. He continued in the business 
during the whole period of the war, training during 
this time many of the men who were the chief oi^cers 
of the future United States navy, including Abra- 
ham Whipple. He was acquainted with naval war- 
fare, had visited nearly every port in the world, had 
excellent executive ability, and knew men thor- 
oughly. These attributes and experiences marked 
him as a leader, and when the first necessities of the. 
war of the American Revolution pointed to the forma- 
tion of a navy as the only way to provide for a defence, 
the Continental Congress turned to him for advice 
and help, as did the citizens, apprehensive that their 
shores might soon be visited by the same fieet that 
had captured Newport and bombarded and burned 
Falmouth, Maine, and the smaller towns along the 
coast of New Enorland. 

Under his direction land-batteries were erected and 
manned, and when on August 22, 1775, two British 
ships approached within a few miles of the town, they 
prudently withdrew. He built a floating battery, pre- 
pared five fire-ships, and arranged a boom and chain 
ready to stretch across the mouth of the harbor. This 



26 Americaii Naval Heroes. 

work was done under the authority of the town, and 
defensive operations were not resumed by the colony 
till October, when the British fleet in Newport harbor 
had increased by four newly arrived ships and the 
British commander, Captain Wallace, had called upon 
the farmers of the islands to supply them with live- 
stock on pain of having" it seized. In this emergency 
the colonists united and the recess committee of the 
General Assembly appointed Esek Hopkins Com- 
mander-in-Chief of the Colonial forces, with William 
West as second in command. He at once called out 
the militia and with this force of six hundred men he 
marched toward Newport and encamped on the green 
at Middleton. 

This determined act of resistance by the colonists 
brought on neo^otiations with the British commander, 
and General Hopkins advised the recess committee to 
agree to furnish the British fleet with provisions on 
condition that they spare the city of Newport from the 
torch, the colonists promising not to enter the place 
if the men on board the British ships were not disem- 
barked. This settled, General Hopkins erected coast 
defences at Pawtuxet, Field's Point, Fort Hill, East 
Providence and elsewhere. These preparations for 
defence pointed out to the Continental Congress the 
need of a navy to prevent depredations on commerce 
and on the cities along the coast. 

Before Congress acted, the General Assembly of 
Rhode Island on August 26, 1775, passed a resolution 



Esck Hopkins. 



27 



asking for the protection of their commerce from the 
British. The petition was presented on October 5th, 
and on October 13th Congress ordered one vessel, 
followed on October 30th by an order for a second. 
Congress also appointed Silas Deane, John Adams, 
Stephen Hopkins, John Langdon, Joseph Hewes and 
Richard Henry Lee, a Marine Committee, empowered 
to build a navy. On December 13, 1775, upon the 
report of the Marine Com- 
mittee, Congress author- 
ized the construction of 
thirteen vessels of war to 
cost $866,666.66. It also 
unanimously selected Esek 
Hopkins as Commander- 
in-Chief of the navy, the 
same rank held by Wash- 
ington in the army. 

He was addressed as 
" Admiral " by Congress 
and by the Marine Committee, but he was familiarly 
known by the title of " Commodore." He resigned from 
his military command, held under authority of the recess 
committee of the General Assembly of Rhode Island, 
and fitting out the sloop Katie, commanded by Abra- 
ham Whipple, he enlisted one hundred men for the 
naval service and with this force proceeded to Phil- 
adelphia. He there refitted eight merchantmen, con- 
verting them into war ships with an armament of 




28 



American Naval Hei'-oes. 



iio guns, and had the httle armada ready early in 
January, 1776. His vessels were, ships: Alfred, flag- 
ship, 24 guns, Dudley Saltonstall commanding, John 
Paul Jones second in command ; Columbus, 20 guns, 
Abraham Whipple commanding; brigs: Andrea Doria, 
14 guns, Nicholas Biddle commanding; Cabot, 14 
guns, John B. Hopkins, son of the admiral, command- 
ing; sloops: Providence, formerly Katie, 12 guns, 
Captain Hazzard commanding; Hoi'iiet, 10 guns; 
Wasp, 8 guns ; and Fly, tender, 8 guns. 

Maclay in his History of the 
Navy thus describes the recep- 
tion of AdmJral Hopkins on 
board his fleet : "At nine o'clock 
on a clear frosty morning in 
\\li 'ill''/^K^ \ \\) January he stepped into his 
DGNTfSiv^^^l li, ,,\ barge at the foot of Walnut 

street, Philadelphia, and amid 
the discharge of artillery and 
the cheers of the multitude he 
made his way through the 
floating ice to his flagship, the Afred. When he 
gained the deck Captain Dudley Saltonstall gave the 
signal and First Lieutenant John Paul Jones hoisted a 
yellow silk flag bearing the device of a pine tree and 
a rattlesnake with the motto, ' Don't tread on me.' 
This was the first flagf hoisted on an American man-of- 
war." The fleet made its way slowly through the ice 
to the Capes of the Delaware and left the Capes behind 




Esek Hopkins. 29 

February 17, 1776, after being delayed by the ice for 
over a month. 

Lord Dunmore had been raiding the seaport towns 
of the southern colonies with a considerable fleet, and 
it was Admiral Hopkins's plan to sail to the relief of 
the colonists. He found the harbors defended by 
detachments from this fleet, driven into port by the 
storm, and without means of knowing the strength of 
the enemy, he dared not attack. To add to his disap- 
pointment the crews of four of his vessels fell sick. So 
he decided to sail to the Bahamas and there organize 
aeainst New Providence on the Island of Nassau and 
seize the guns and ammunition stored there. 

He landed two hundred marines under Captain 
Nicholas, and fifty sailors under Lieutenant Weaver, 
and took possession of the smaller fort without opposi- 
tion. He issued a manifesto to the inhabitants declar- 
ing his purpose to seize the powder and warlike sup- 
plies belonging to the crown, but not to interfere with 
the persons or property remaining passive during 
his occupation of the island. Thereupon the inhabi- 
tants deserted the larger fort and the governor deliv- 
ered the keys of the magazine to Captain Nicholas. 
They despoiled the fort of 88 cannon, 9 to 36- 
pounders; 15 mortars, 4 to 11 inch; 5,458 shells, 
11,000 round shot and 15 barrels of gunpowder, the 
governor having the day before shipped 150 barrels of 
gunpowder to Boston in a small sloop. The Admiral 
borrowed a larger sloop which he promised to return. 



30 American Naval Heroes. 

and on it loaded as much of his valuable spoils, so 
necessary to the colonies, as could not be carried by 
the other vessels of the fleet. He took as prisoners 
Lieutenant-Governor Montfort Brown and Thomas 
Arvvin, inspector-general of customs in North America. 

When he left the port of New Providence his pro- 
gress was necessarily slow, as all his vessels were 
heavily laden. They reached Long Island Sound from 
the east on April 4, 1776, and that day fell in with the 
British schooner Hawke, 6 guns and eight swivels, 
commanded by Captain Wallace, son of Commodore 
Wallace in command of the British fleet in Newport 
harbor. Admiral Hopkins easily captured the schooner 
and the next day also took the Boltoji, a British bomb- 
brig, 8 guns and 2 swivels or howitzers, and manned 
by a crew of 48 men. 

His fleet, from which the Hornet and Wasp had 
strayed shortly after they had left the Capes, now 
consisted of six armed vessels and the store-sloop. 
Proceeding up the Sound they encountered on the 6th 
of April a strange ship, which gave out, when hailed 
by the small vessel in advance, an answering broad- 
side and successively engaged the Cabot, the Alfred, 
the Andrea Doria and the Coliinibics. The con- 
flict lasted for three hours, ten Americans being 
killed and a number seriously wounded including Cap- 
tain John B. Hopkins of the Cabot. The Columbus, 
Captain Whipple, was the last to engage the stranger, 
which proved to be the British frigate Glasgow, 24 



Esek Hopkins. 3 i 

guns. Her tender was captured but she escaped into 
Newport harbor. The Admiral not deeming it pru- 
dent to follow her into the harbor, which was defended 
by the fleet of Commodore Wallace, on the 8th put 
into New London. The news of this first naval ex- 
ploit was received with joy by the colonists. The bat- 
tery and ammunition captured were much needed, and 
the prowess of the American seamen had not been 
found wanting in their first sea fight. The disappoint- 
ment at not capturing the British frigate was all that 
prevented the fullest expression of approval of the 
deeds of the American admiral, but Contrress, throuo^h 
John Hancock, its president, who wrote from Phila- 
delphia on April 17, 1776, congratulated the Admiral 
on the outcome of the expedition. 

The facts that he had fought the Glasgow in the 
dead of night, with his ships overloaded with spoils, 
encumbered with two prizes and a transport, and after 
a long voyage, with many of the men sick, were very 
good reasons for want of entire success. If they had 
followed up the retreating frigate into Newport harbor, 
they would have been met by the fleet of Commodore 
Wallace and undoubtedly would have been captured. 
Captain Whipple was criticised for not closing in with 
the GlasfTOw, and he demanded a court-martial which 
was held on board the Alfred at New London on May 
6th. He proved that to do so was impossible, owing 
to the want of wind. Captain Hazzard of the Provi- 
dence was cashiered for disobedience of orders, and 



32 Americaji N^aval Heroes. 

this, the first example in the hne of discipHne in the 
American navy, had a sahitary effect and was the seed 
of the chief distinguishing characteristic of the Ameri- 
can sailor — obedience to orders without question. 

The calamity of the escape of the Glasgozv over- 
shadowed the glory won at New Providence and in the 
capture of the other prizes, and the outbreak of small- 
pox which placed over two hundred on the sick list, in 
addition to the unusual number of sick during the voy- 
age, so handicapped the new Commander-in-Chief that 
he was obliged to appeal to General Washington for 
new men to take the places of the invalids. 

The British fleet left Newport, and Admiral Hop- 
kins, on receiving two hundred soldiers from the army 
at New York to re-man his fleet, sailed for Providence, 
. R. I., April 24, 1776. Here the malignant fever still 
held sway and over one hundred were on the sick list. 
Washington, meanwhile, had asked for the return of his 
soldiers who were sent back by the sloop Providence, 
Lieutenant John Paul Jones commanding. 

Admiral Hopkins had planned to prepare his fleet 
for a three months' cruise, but continued sickness, the 
recall of the soldiers, and the unwillingness of raw 
recruits to enlist on fever-infected ships, upset his plan. 
Besides these discouragements, the authorization of 
privateering by the Continental Congress, March 18, 
1776, had added another barrier to the progress of 
building up a navy. Enterprising shipping merchants 
were offering extraordinary inducements in the way of 



Esek Hopkins. 33 

wages and prize money to seamen, and Congress had 
established a rate of wages and a share in prize money 
much less than the owners of the privateers were 
offering. Admiral Hopkins found himself deserted 
by all the able-bodied seamen of New England and 
his ships remained unmanned. The owners of priva- 
teers then concerted to bring the navy into further 
disrepute by misrepresenting the condition of affairs 
to Congress, and they practically succeeded by intrigue 
and political inHuence to block for the time the efforts 
of Admiral Hopkins. They were inspired by self- 
interest to keep the government ships off the sea, as 
by their heavier armament they would naturally capture 
the more valuable prizes which otherwise would fall to 
the privateers. 

In the spring of 1776 two of the thirteen frigates 
authorized by Congress and appointed to Rhode 
Island were built at Providence. The Warren, 132 
feet long and 35 feet beam, was given to Old Neptune 
May 14th, and the Providence, 124 feet long, 34 feet 
beam was launched on the 24th of the same month. 
The contract for building these ships had been given 
to the leading merchants and ship-owners of the port, 
who constituted a committee appointed by the Marine 
Board, The delay in getting them ready was charged 
to the committee on the ground that they had used 
the men employed on the frigates to work upon their 
own privateers, and in a letter to John Hancock, pres- 
ident of the Marine Committee, dated March 18, i777> 



34 American Naval Heroes. 

a year after the frigates were completed, Admiral 
Hopkins declared that the two vessels had cost twice 
their contract price, " owing to some of the very com- 
mittee that built the ships taking the workingmen and 
the stock agreed for, to fit their privateers, and even 
threatening the workmen if they did not work for 
them." That these chiarges were made upon good 
authority and that x^dmiral Hopkins could abundantly 
substantiate them, is proven by the records con- 
tained in the Hopkins papers preserved in the Rhode 
Island Historical Society library at Providence. 

The men charged with these unpatriotic and selfish 
acts were Admiral Hopkins's friends and neighbors 
who had shared with him the profits from privateering 
in the Seven Years' War. He might easily have 
joined them in the peculations and gained a share in 
the profits had he been false to his duty as a commis- 
sioned officer of the Continental government, and 
his very honesty seems to have secured his official 
downfall. 

At his request Congress passed, on October 27, 
1776, the resolution providing that privateers could 
not fly pennants without the permission of Continental 
commanders, and requesting them to show due respect 
to Continental vessels on penalty of loss of commission. 
When, however, he asked that power be given to 
Continental commanders not only to take deserters 
from the regular naval service found on board of 
privateers, but to take as well, by way of discipline, 



Esek Hopkins. 35 

the rest of the men, Congress denied the request. 
The cannon captured at New Providence were 
denied for the use of the navy and were transported 
to New York and Philadelphia for the use of the army, 
and when Governor Trumbull of Connecticut would 
not deliver them up. Admiral Hopkins wrote him to 
do so, as it would " have no other bad effect but on me, 
who had better suffer than the community." In June, 
Admiral Hopkins was summoned to Philadelphia to 
answer for "breach of orders" and he appeared before 
the Marine Committee with Dudley Saltonstall and 
Abraham Whipple, his two ranking captains. He 
left the fleet at Providence, not in commission, in 
command of Captain Nicholas Biddle. The captains 
were acquitted, but Hopkins's case was referred to 
Congress and that body on August 15th resolved: 
"that Commodore Hopkins, during his cruise to the 
southward, did not pay due regard to the tenor of his in- 
structions, whereby he was expressly directed to annoy 
the enemy's ships upon the coast of the southern 
states, and that his reason for not going from New 
Providence immediately to the Carolinas are by no 
means satisfactory;" and the following day resolved: 
"that the said conduct of Commodore Hopkins de- 
serves the censure of this House and this House does 
accordingly censure him." John Adams who ably 
defended him prevented his immediate discharge from 
the service, and on August 19th it was ordered: "that 
he proceed to Rhode Island and resume command of 
the fleet." 



36 American N^aval He^'-ocs. 

On Aiieust 22nd the Marine Committee instructed 
him to dispatch the Alfred, the Columbus, the Cabot 
and the Hampden to the coast of Newfoundland to 
capture merchantmen bound for the gulf of St. Law- 
rence and to destroy the British fisheries. President 
Hancock authorized him to purchase the prize Hawke, 
captured by him on his return voyage from New Provi- 
dence, to rename it the Hopkins and to send it to 
Newfoundland to co-operate with the fieet, and also 
authorized him to "hoist his broad pennant on board 
any of the vessels." This action on the part of 
Congress, the Marine Committee, and its illustrious 
president, fully acquitted Hopkins before the eyes of 
the public, to the chagrin of his enemies in Rhode 
Island. 

John Paul Jones, who had been an eye witness and 
a participant in Admiral Hopkins's exploits, and who 
knew his motives and purposes, wrote him September 
4th, 1776, while at sea in the Providence: " I know you 
will not suspect me of flattery when I affirm I have 
not experienced a more sincere pleasure for a long 
time past than the account I have had of your having 
gained your cause at Philadelphia in spite of party. 
Your late trouble will tend to your future advantage ; 
by pointing out your friends and enemies you will be 
thereby enabled to retain the one part while you are 
guarded against the other. You will be thrice wel- 
come to your native land, and to your nearest concerns. 
After your late shock you will see you are as gold from 



Esek Hopkins. 37 

the fire, of more worth and value, and slander will 
learn to keep silence when Admiral Hopkins is men- 
tioned." This letter not only shows the kindliness of 
a fellow officer and one charged with being himself 
ambitious for the supreme command, but it shows that 
the jealousy of New England captains in his command 
was not shared by the first lieutenant of the flag-ship 
of the admiral, who could not claim American citizen- 
ship except by adoption. His brother Stephen, dele- 
gate to Congress, displeased at the treatment accorded 
the admiral of the new navy, left Philadelphia early in 
September, 1775, and did not return that year. 

Under his new orders Admiral Hopkins fitted out 
and dispatched his ships from Providence, May 22, 
1777, as follows: the Andrea Doria, Captain Nicholas 
Biddle, and the Cabot, Lieutenant Elisha Hinman, both 
under the direction of Captain Biddle. The men 
shipped were taken from the Fly and the Alfred, 
leaving those vessels unmanned. The Cabot captured 
before October eight prizes. Captain Biddle sailed 
from Newport, June i6th, and in four months sent in 
nine valuable prizes. The Cabot captured a three- 
deck prize ship on November 2nd. The Colimibtis, 
Captain Whipple, sailed on July ist and by the end ot 
August had secured four prizes. On being sent out 
she drew her crew of twenty men from the provisional 
force furnished by the General Assembly of Rhode 
Island, as did the Providence, which was placed under 
the command of Lieutenant John Paul Jones. In this 



2,S American A^aval Heroes. 

cruise Lieutenant Jones captured fifteen prizes and 
sent them into Boston, Providence and New Bedford. 
He returned in October when he was promoted to the 
rank of Captain and given command of the Alfred. 
Admiral Hoptcins placed under Jones all his available 
men and fitted out the sloop Providence, Captain 
Hoysted Hacker, to accompany the Alfred. On this 
cruise Jones captured seven prizes. These vessels 
had all been commissioned and were on their way 
before Hopkins was summoned to Philadelphia to 
appear before the Naval Board. 

The ships at home had no men, and to call back 
those on cruises of indefinite length was impossible. 
Under the existinor condition of the volunteer service 
it was also impossible to carry out immediately the 
order from the Marine Committee to proceed to New- 
foundland, and another given October lo, 1776, to 
prepare an expedition for the protection of the South 
Atlantic coast. Admiral Hopkins used extraordinary 
means to obtain men, but without avail. The General 
Assembly of Rhode Island, to which he applied in 
October, refused to place an embargo on privateering 
so that he could get sailors, the measure being defeated 
by two votes, through the influence of members inter- 
ested in privateering. 

The Marine Committee of Congress could not 
obtain from that body the authority asked, to make 
drafts of men from the army, which being the first in the 
field had received in its ranks all the available New 



Esek Hopkins. 



39 



England seamen thrown out of employment by the sus- 
pension of commerce incident to the war. Admiral 
Hopkins also asked permission to raise the wages of 
seamen and to make a more Hberal schedule for the 
distribution of prize money on government ships, 
but this was delayed till November i, 1776, when 
Congress tardily enacted to allow men on the govern- 
ment vessels "one-half of the merchandise, transports 
and store-ships and the whole of all British war vessels 
and privateers." Before this 
became known the navy had 
fallen into innocuous desue- 
tude. When on December 8, 
1776, Sir Peter Parker came 
into Newport harbor with seven 
British ships of the line, four 
frigates and seventy transports 
with 6.000 troops on board, 
Admiral Hopkins was at Prov- 
idence with the frigates ]]\ir- 
i-eii, Providence, Columbus and Hampden, and the 
sloop Providence. He had hoisted his flag on the 
Warren in September, and had been urging the 
General Assembly of Rhode Island and the Con- 
tinental Congress for help to man the fleet. He had 
been given only partial authority over his officers, who 
were allowed to receive orders direct from the Marine 
Committee. In that way Captain Biddle from July 
nth and Captain Jones from August 6, 1776, were 




40 American Naval Heroes. 

under orders from the Marine Committee, and Admiral 
Hopkins could neither direct their movements nor 
share in the prizes captured after those dates, notwith- 
standing the fact that he had furnished both these 
commanders with ships and men and that they had 
recognized his authority in subordinate matters, even 
in directing the operation of their ships. 

The opposition of the enterprising merchants of 
Providence who could not brook the success of the 
new navy in capturing prizes under their very eyes, 
renewed itself in 1777, when on February 19th a 
number of the oiificers of the Warren petitioned 
Congress to remove Admiral Hopkins, whom they 
accused of being "unfit for his position," but specified 
no direct charges. He wrote to John Hancock asking 
to be heard before the Marine Committee: " I am very 
willing to come to you to answer for my conduct with 
such of the committee who built the ships as I could 
name, but not with the poor men who only acted as 
machines to a set of men who I wish I could say had 
any other principle but avarice." He w^as not allowed 
to defend himself on the terms he named and did not 
answer the summons. 

He was suspended March 25, 1777, and on January 
2, 1778, he was dismissed from the service. His friends 
feared that his treatment would drive him from his 
loyalty, but he wrote to William Ellery: "Although I 
have lost the interest of a parcel of mercenary mer- 
chants, owners of privateers, I do not think I have lost 



Esck Hopkins. 41 

it in the major part of the state. I am determined to 
continue a friend to my country ; neither do I intend 
to remain inactive." He was elected a representative 
in the General Assembly of the state for North Provi- 
dence, was active in drilling recruits for the American 
army, and while a representative secured the election 
of President James Manning of the College of Rhode 
Island as a delegate to the Continental Congress, 
1785-1786. 

A letter written by Admiral Hopkins to the Rev. 
Samuel Hopkins shows a striking contrast between 
the early American navy and that of 1898, vv^hen 
Chaplain Chidwick did his duty so heroically on the 
Maine. The Admiral says : "I received yours of 
September 20th, yesterday, and am very much obliged 
to you for your address and advice. As to your com- 
plaints of the people belonging to the navy, I am now 
to let you know that I did not enter into the navy as a 
divine and that I am not qualified to act or give direct- 
ions in that matter. The Congress whom I serve 
made provision for a chaplain to perform that nec- 
essary duty, but to my mortification I have not been 
able to get a single man to act in that character al- 
though I have applied to many. If you know of any 
that has the good will of mankind at heart sufhciently 
to expose himself to the necessary danger of that 
service, should be glad if you would send him, who 
you may depend will be treated with due respect; and 
if none can be procured I cannot but condole with you 
the depravity of the times." 



42 A7ncricau Naval Heroes. 

Esek Hopkins was a martyr to the cause of 
nationality — to social unity as against the use of 
public service for private profit. His error, if error 
it was, was that of interfering with the plans of influ- 
ential business men who were getting rich in the name 
of patriotism and liberty. He was too honest to 
conceal his indignation or to change his policy. The 
first admiral of the United States navy died in North 
Providence, R. I., February 26, 1802, and a bronze 
statue, executed by Mrs. Thomas Ruggles Kiston of 
Boston, Mass., was erected to his memory in October, 
1897. 



III. 



LAMBERT WICKES. 

"The cruise of Captain Wickes has effectually alarmed England, prevented 
the great fair at Chester, occasioned insurance to rise, and even deterred the 
English merchants from shipping goods in English bottoms, at any rate, so that 
in a few weeks forty sail of French ships were loaded in the Thames on freight; 
an instance never before known." — Commissioner Deane to Robert Morris. 

Captain Wickes was the first officer in the Ameri- 
can navy to carry an American armed vessel — a man- 
of-war, as she was classed at the time, — across the 
Atlantic, and present himself and his ship at the very 
gate of the British naval station. 

He had just returned home from Martinique after 
a successful cruise on the Reprisal during which he 
had captured several prizes, and when near the French 
port the British sloop-of-war Shark, i6 guns. Captain 
Chapman, lay her close alongside and opened with a 
broadside that fairly staggered the Reprisal, which was 
the lighter craft. Captain Wickes was short handed as 
he had drawn from his crew to man his prizes. His 
defence was so gallant however, that the Shark drew 
off and Captain Wickes with the Reprisal and his 
prizes safely anchored in the port of Martinique. 
Hundreds had witnessed the fight from the shore and 
applauded the brave American navigator. 



44 American Naval Heroes. 

As this was early in 1776, before the Declaration of 
Independence had been proclaimed, the captain of the 
Shark, upon recovering from his surprise at the audac- 
ity of the American, followed into port with the Shark 
and demanded of the governor of Martinique that he 
deliver up the American ship as a pirate. This demand 
was refused by the governor who quietly requested 
Captain Wickes to leave the port. 

Up to this time operations had been confined to 
American waters and directed toward the protection 
of commerce, the defence of seaport towns, and the 
capture of needed munitions of war on board in-com- 
ing British vessels intended for the soldiers of King 
George. 

The success of the little cruisers, and the building 
by Congress of formidable ships of war able to inflict 
serious loss, not only on British commerce, but as 
well on the proud British navy, had so emboldened the 
infant government that they entrusted Benjamin Frank- 
lin, their commissioner to the court of Versailles, bear- 
ing a letter from Congress to the King of France, to 
the American brig-of-war Reprisal, Captain Lambert 
Wickes. This act might have lost to the colonies 
their independence had the vessel been captured, as 
Franklin had already secured the friendship and 
aid of France, and this visit completed the desirable 
alliance. 

Captain Wickes, however, did more than deliver 
his passenger in safety; he furnished to the commis- 



Lamberi Wickes. 45 

sioner an object-lesson of the possibilities of carrying 
on an aeeressive naval warfare in British waters, for 
on the voyage he captured two British brigs laden with 
cargoes of wine and brought them safely into port at 
Nantes, December 7, 1776, the first prizes that had 
entered a French port since the beginning of the Amer- 
ican revolution. In the face of a defiant protest made 
by the British ambassador to the King, Captain Wickes 
sold his prizes, disguised his brig as a merchantman 
and cruised on the coast of England, during which time 
he captured three British merchantmen and a King's 
packet that plied between Falmouth and Lisbon, and 
brought them also into Nantes, trophies of his daring. 
To make a show of respect for the protest of the Brit- 
ish ambassador, the King ordered Captain Wickes to 
leave the harbor, and sailing out upon the high seas, 
he there made a mock auction of his prizes and under 
new owners the ships all returned to port, the profits 
from the sales furnishing money to the American com- 
missioners with which to purchase other vessels to 
strengthen their navy. 

In April, 1777, X\i& Lexington, under Captain John- 
son, reached France, and the American commissioners 
planned an expedition bolder than any heretofore un- 
dertaken under the American flag. They directed 
Captain Wickes to proceed to sea with the Reprisal 
and the Lexington, together with, tkie Dolphin, 10 guns. 
Lieutenant Samuel Nicholson, which had been intended 
as a dispatch boat between France and America. 



46 American Naval Heroes. 

The orders to Captain Wickes, who commanded the 
squadron, were to intercept a fleet of linen ships 
expected to sail from Belfast, Ireland. The fleet left 
Nantes early in June by way of the Bay of Biscay, and 
made the entire circuit of Ireland, leaving in their wake, 
scuttled or burning, every English craft they met, not 
of a greater force than their own. 

As they approached the port of Nantes a line-of- 
battle ship gave them chase. The Lexington and the 
Dolphin outsailed their pursuer, the former finding 
refuge in the port of Morlaix, but Captain Wickes 
found the Reprisal so hard pressed that he threw over- 
board her heavy guns, sawed her bulwarks and cut 
away some of her upper timbers to lighten the ship. 

This exploit placed the French government in a 
position where they could no longer cover their desire 
to help the American cause, but not being ready to 
accept war as an alternative the King felt obliged to 
punish the Americans caught in the piratical acts. 
Accordingly, he ordered the Reprisal and the Lexing- 
ton held until the American commissioners w^ould fur- 
nish security that they would peaceably quit the Euro- 
pean seas. He also directed that the prizes leave port 
without delay and they were taken in the offing and 
sold to French merchants. 

The Lexijigton left Morlaix in September and the 
next day encountered the Alert, a British man-of-war 
cutter, of about equal metal. With the rough weather 
that prevailed and the lightness of both vessels they 



Lambert Wickes. a^^j 

sustained a fire that lasted two and a half hours and 
the Lexington exploded most of her powder with but 
little damage except to the upper works of the Alert. 
This damage aloft enabled the Lcxingion to leave her, 
but after a stern chase of four hours the Alert came 
alongside and engaged her for another hour when 
Captain Johnson struck his flag to save the lives of his 
crew. 

This ended the career of the Lexington on which 
vessel John Paul Jones had first raised the American 
flag and which under Captains Barry, Hallock and 
Johnson had fought two severe battles with war ships, 
had been twice captured and once re-captured, had 
sustained several contests with armed ships, and had 
captured many prizes. 

The Reprisal had been even more successful than 
her consort and her fate was more tragic. According to 
orders Captain Wickes set sail for America, the con- 
dition imposed by the French government in order to 
satisfy the demands of Great Britain. Of the entire 
crew, only the cook lived to tell of the loss of the ship, 
her brave commander and gallant crew. She foun- 
dered on the banks of Newfoundland, and the country 
lost a useful vessel, and a gallant, prudent and efficient 
officer who promised much more of usefulness to the 
cause he had already so valliantly defended. 





k^ ^^^^^ 




IV. 

JOHN HAZELWOOD. 

" I am prepared to defend the fleet to the last." — Hazelwood, 

Little is known of the early career of Captain 
Hazelwood. He was born in England probably in 
1726, and served in the merchant-marine service up to 
the time of the American Revolution. His trade was 
carried on between the colonies and the port of London. 

He made Philadelphia his home probably in 1756, 
and is recorded as one of the founders of the Saint 
George society of that city in 1772, He joined him- 
self to the cause of the colonists, and in December, 1775, 
was appointed by the council of safety superintendent 
of five vessels designed to protect the city of Phil- 
adelphia from the attacks of the British fieet. 

In July, 1776, he was sent by the Philadelphia 
committee of safety to Poughkeepsie, N. Y., on the 
Hudson river, to consult with the committee there 
about the best methods of using fire-boats in the 
defence of the Hudson and Delaware towns. 

He was made commodore of the Pennsylvania navy 
in October, 1776; was given full command of the naval 
forces of the commonwealth on September 6, 1777, 
and was in command of the Continental naval force 



50 American N^aval Heroes. 

harbored in the Delaware river, ^lll-^ll^- For 
his services rendered to the state of New York while 
at Poiighkeepsie a convention of the state assembly 
voted him the thanks of that body and the sum of 
;/"300. Colonel William Bradford in a letter dated 
October 7, 1777, records the fact that while Lord 
Howe had possession of Delaware bay with his fleet, 
he proposed to Commodore Hazelwood a full pardon 
and kind treatment if he would peaceably surrender 
the Pennsylvania fleet. To this the patriot replied, 
" I am prepared to defend the fleet to the last." 

He was a member of the board of "commissioners 
of purchase" in Philadelphia during the whole period 
of the Revolution. His portrait painted by Charles 
Wilson Peale was purchased by the city of Phila- 
delphia and hung in Independence Hall. 

Captain Hazelwood died in Philadelphia, Pa., 
probably March i, 1800. 



V. 



GUSTAVUS CONNYNGHAM. 

"In a word, Coniiyngham, by his first and second bold expeditions, is 
become the terror of all the eastern coast of England and Scotland, and is more 
dreaded than Thurot was, in the late war." — Commissioner Deane to Robert 
Alorris. 

The American commissioners had secretly pur- 
chased the swift saihng Enghsh-buih cutter, which 
they re- named the Surprise, and had her fitted out as 
a cruiser in the port of Dunkirk. A blank commis- 
sion from John Hancock, the president of Congress, 
was filled out with the name of Gustavus Connyng- 
ham who was given command of the Surprise, his 
commission bearing date March i, 1777, and en- 
titling him to the rank of captain in the United States 
navy. 

He took a crew in Dunkirk and on May 4th, captured 
the Joseph, an English brig. On the 7th, when a few 
leagues off the coast of Holland, he took the English 
packet Prince of Orange, bound for Harwich, with so 
little alarm that on stepping on board his prize Captain 
Connyngham found the master and passengers at 
breakfast and coolly notified them that they were 
his prisoners. As the packet had on board the mail 



52 American Naval Heroes. 

for the north of Europe he carried his prizes into 
Dunkirk. 

The audacity of the American in capturing a mail 
vessel and one engaged in passenger traffic greatly 
exasperated the British government, and the English 
ambassador at Dunkirk protested so earnestly that the 
captain and crew were imprisoned, the vessel seized and 
the prizes liberated. Captain Connyngham's commis- 
sion was taken from him and sent to Versailles. 

This seeming friendly act on the part of the French 
ministry so disarmed the British admiralty that they 
dispatched two sloops-of-war to Dunkirk to bring the 
American prisoners to England to be tried as pirates. 
When the vessel reached Dunkirk Connyngham and 
his crew had been released and had shipped on board 
the Revenge, 14 guns, a second vessel purchased by 
the American commissioners, who had also provided 
Captain Connyngham with a new commission bearing 
date May 2, 1777. 

He sailed from Dunkirk, on July i8th and captured 
prizes right and left, generally destroying them, not 
caring to have a recurrence of his former experience. 
The richer of the prizes, however, he sent into Spanish 
ports where their sale replenished the treasury of the 
American commissioners and agents. 

Captain Connyngham seemed to possess no fear 
of capture and when a storm so dismantled his ship 
as to make it necessary to go into port he carefully 
disguised his vessel, sailed boldly into a small English 



GustaviLS Connyngh a in. 53 

port and had his ship repaired at a British dockyard 
without detection. 

He afterward put into an Irish port, purchased pre- 
visions and paid for them by drafts on his agent at 
Ferrol, Spain. He finally became such a terror to the 
merchant marine of England that a large fleet was 
fitted out to capture the "bold pirate" and he ran into 
Ferrol where he refitted and sailed for America. The 
Revenge was purchased by the naval committee of 
Congress and was sold when the navy was reduced in 
1780. 

Captain Connyngham was made commander of a 
small independent privateer, and was captured, sent to 
England in irons, and threatened with the treatment 
accorded to a pirate. His imprisonment was long and 
severe, accompanied with great privations, and it was 
several months before he was released. Congress, 
through its secretary Charles Thompson protested 
against the inhuman treatment accorded American 
seamen and his remonstrance, dated July 17, 1778, 
recited that: 

" Gustavus Connyngham, citizen of America, late 
commander of an armed vessel in the service of the 
said States, and taken on board a private armed cutter, 
is now detained in an English prison and suffering 
great hardships," and demanded why he was '' treated 
in a manner contrary to all the dictates of humanity 
and the practice of civilized nations." But notwith- 
standing the continued sufferings of the imprisoned 



54 Ainerican Naval Heroes. 

Americans it was not until July 15, 1779, that Congress 
resolved to "cause the crews of vessels captured from 
the enemy to be confined on board prison ships and 
supplied and treated, in all respects, in the same manner 
as the crews of vessels belonging to these United 
States, and captured by the enemy, are supplied and 
treated." 



VI. 



JOHN PAUL JONES. 



"In battle, Paul Jones was brave; in enterprise, hardy and original; in 
victory, mild and generous; in motives, much disposed to disinterestedness, though 
ambitious of renown and covetous of distinction; in his pecuniary relations, 
liberal; in his affections, natural and sincere; and in his temper, except in those 
cases which assailed his reputation, just and forgiving. Had circumstances put 
him in a situation of high command, there is little doubt that he would have left 
a name unsurpassed by that of any naval captain, or have perished in endeavor- 
ing to obtain it." — Cooper's History of the Navy. 

He headed the Hst of the first Heutenants appointed 
in the navy by the Continental Congress, December 
22, 1775; held the first captain's commission granted 
by the United States government August 8, 1776; 
was made the commanding officer of all American 
ships in European waters in 1778 ; received the thanks 
of Congress in 1781 ; was unanimously elected by 
Congress the ranking officer of the American navy in 
1781 ; received a gold medal from Congress similar to 
that given to Washington in 1787; was presented 
with a gold sword by Louis XVI of France, and with 
the Grand Cross of the Order of the Military Merit, 
never before given to a foreigner ; was a rear admiral 
in the service of Russia ; received the Order of St. 
Anne from the Empress Catharine; was held in es- 
teem by Washington ; won the affection of Franklin, 
Morris, Jefferson and Lafayette, and was worthy to be 



56 A^nerican Naval Heroes. 

classed an unswerving patriot, and a worthy naval 
hero. This synopsis of the career of John Paul Jones 
serves as an introduction to a remarkable story which 
will never grow old. 

John Paul Jones was born at Arbingland, in the 
parish of Kirkbean, Scotland, July 6, 1747, the fifth 
child of John Paul, an humble gardener, who for a 
portion of his life, served in the household of the Earl of 
Selkirk. His birthplace was one of the most picturesque 
localities of Scotland, being near the shores of the Firth 
of Solway. Here the boy was the constant companion 
of seafaring men. He entertained and amused his play- 
mates by constructing miniature navies, using chips for 
ships, and manoeuvering rival fleets in well-conducted 
sea-fights, giving imperious commands to imaginary 
sailors as they engaged in apparently bloody battles. 

The parish school at Kirkbean afforded him a good 
primary education, and to it he added by home study 
the elements of navigation and a considerable knowl- 
edge of the French language. When he was twelve 
years old he was bound, at Whitehaven, apprentice to 
the merchant marine service, on board a vessel engaged 
in the tobacco trade with the American colonies. In 
this service he found but limited time, and that gen- 
erally late at night, to give to the study of navigation. 

On his first voyage to Virginia he visited his oldest 
brother, William Paul, who had married a Virginia girl 
and settled on a plantation near Fredericksburg. It 
was during this visit that the boy first imbibed the 



John Paul yones. 57 

spirit of liberty as it was even at that early day — 1760 
— the fireside talk and fond hope of the colonists of 
Virginia. 

Soon after his return with his ship to Whitehaven 
his indenture of apprenticeship was cancelled through 
the failiire of his employer, and he obtained an 
appointment as third mate on a vessel engaged in the 
African slave trade. He made two or more voyages 
between the coast of Africa and the West Indies, 
where the slaves were sold, but he seems to have 
become dissatisfied with the business, either through 
a revolt in his mind, so early charged with the spirit of 
liberty, or by reason of disappointment in the pay and 
rewards that the business afforded him. His own cor- 
respondence points to the former reason. 

At any rate we find that while the brig was in the 
West Indies, he took passage on board a Scotch brig- 
antine bound for his boyhood home. On this voyage 
the captain and mate both died from yellow fever and 
young Paul took the vessel in hand and brought her 
into port. For this service the owner rewarded him 
by making him master and supercargo of the vessel, 
and he continued to trade with the West Indies and 
the colonies until about 1768, when he was made mas- 
ter of a large London ship in the West Indies trade. 

In 1770 complaint was lodged against him at 
Tobago for cruelty in the punishment of a carpenter 
who was the leader of a revolt. Captain Paul was 
forced to go through a long trial before a British jury, 



58 American Naval Heroes. 

who after six months' delay failed to render a verdict, 
and to justify himself he made an affidavit which he 
sent to his home at Kirkbean, proclaiming his inno- 
cence and accusing' his enemies of a conspiracy to take 
his life. 

In a letter to Robert Morris he refers to this "great 
misfortune" of his life. He was fully aquitted, but it 
embittered all his earlier life. (The bracketed words 
in this letter are lined out in the original.) 

Providence, at Sea, 4th Septr 1776 

To Robert Alorris. 

Honoured Sir : I herewith enclose for your inspection all the 
letters and papers which I found in the Brigantine Sea Nymph — 
for the particulars of my Cruise hitherto I must beg leave to refer 
you to the within open letter to the Marine Board, which please to 
lay before them. I purpose to stand to the Southward in hopes of 
falling in with some ships which I understand are now on their Pas- 
sage from Barbadoes — but at this late season my success is very 
Uncertain — I will, however, ply about in this Meridian as long as I 
think I have any chance and if I fail at last I can run to the North- 
ward and [take a parcel of] try for better success among the Fisher- 
men which (will) may answer no bad purpose by increasing the 
Number of our Seamen. — however my cruise may terminate I forget 
not the singular obligation I owe to Mr. Morris who promoted it for 
my honour and advantage & I esteem the Honour done me by his 
accepting my Correspondence as the [most] greatest favour I could 
have aspired to — I conclude that Mr. Hewes hath acquainted you 
with a very great misfortune which befel me some years ago and which 
brought me into No America, (the best man may soon become equally 
or far more unfortunate — therefore you will spare me the pain of 
repeating it here) I am under no concern whatever that this or any 
past circumstance of my life will sink me in your opinion Since 
[human foresight] human Wisdom cannot secure us from Acci- 
dents it is the greatest effort of '[Human] Reason to bear them 
well. I will from time to time carefully communicate to you every 



John Paul Jozies. 59 

intelligence in my Power — and as the regulations of the Navy are of 
the utmost Consequence you will not think it presumption if with 
the utmost diffidence I venture to communicate to you such hints 
as in my Judgement [appear wise] will promote its Honour and Good 
government. I could heartily wish that every Commission Officer were 
to be previously examined, for, to my certain knowledge, there are 
persons who have already creipt into Commission — without abilities or 
fit Qualification : , am myself far from desiring to be excused. — from 
[my] experience in Ours, as well as from my former intimacy with 
many Officers of Note in the British Navy, I am convinced that the 
Parity of Rank between Sea & Land or Marine officers, is of more 
consequence to the harmony of the Service, than hath generally been 
imagined. — in the British Establishment — an Admiral ranks with a 
Genl. a Vice Adml. with a Lieut. Genl. a Rear Admiral with a 
Major Gen'l. a Commodore with a Brigadier Genl. — a Captain 
with a Colonel, a master & Comm. with a Lieut. Colonel — a Lieut. 
Commanding with a Major and a Lieutenant in the Navy Ranks 
with a Captam of Horse, Foot or Marines — I propose not our Ene- 
mies as an Example for our Genl. imitation — yet as their Navy is 
the best regulated of any in the World, we must in some degree imi- 
tate them and aim at such further improvement as may one day 
make ours vie with and — Exceed theirs. Were this Regulation to 
take place in our Navy, it would prevent numberless disputes and 
duelings which otherwise will be Unavoidable — besides Sir, you 
know very well that Marine Officers being utterly unacquainted 
with Maritime Affairs — are in those Cases unfit persons to pre- 
side at or Compose half the number of a Court Martial, I beg 
Pardon for this liberty. I thought that such hints might escape 
your Memory in the Multiplicity of Business. I have always under- 
stood that the sentence of a Court Martial when Confirmed by a 
Commander-in-Chief was definite and admitted of no Appeal — to 
prove this I must again recur to English authority in the Case 
of Lord Geo. Sackville who for disobeying the orders of Prince 
Ferdinand at the Battle of Minden was (Broke) by a Court [Mar- 
tial] Martial held at the Horse Guards and rendered incapable of 
serving afterwards in any Military Capacity altho' his great abili- 
ties were then well known and are Generally acknowledged at this 
day. I am led into this subject by hearing with astonishment the 
application and Complaint of the late Cap'n Hazard to the Marine 
Board after he had been found " Unworthy of Bearing his Commis- 



6o American Naval Heroes. 

sion in the Navy" by the Undivided voice of a Court Martial where 
I had the honour to sit as a member. 

If he was then Unworthy of bearing his Commission I cannot 
see what new Merit he can have acquired — and even if he had 
merit it would not be sound policy to reverse the sentence — it 
would make officers stand less in Awe, and attend less punctually 
to their duty — and it is not improbible that it might induce future 
Court Martials in some cases to inflict personal punishment from 
whence there is no appeal. 

There was a mistake made in the date of my Commission which 
Unless you stand my Friend will make a material difference when 
the Navy Rank is settled. I took Command here the Tenth day 
of May as appears by the Order and Appointment of the Commdr 
in Chief on the Back of my Commission as Eldest Lieutenant of 
the Fleet and my Commission as Captain is not dated 'till the 
Eighth day of August — which you know is not fair as it would 
subject me to be Superseded by Captain Robinson who was at first 
my Junior Officer by Six — perhaps it might subject me to be 
superseded by others. If I have deserved so ill as to be superseded 
I am unworthy of bearing my Commission (I have been held in 
some esteemation among my fellow Mortals) I esteem it a greater 
disgrace and severer punishment than [it would] to be fairly broke 
and dismissed the Service. I have ordered Mr. Hopkins the Prize 
Master to deliver you a Turtle which please to accept. I have the 
Honour to be with grateful Esteem and much respect 
Honoured Sir, 

Your very obliged, 
And very Obedient Humble Serv't 

John Paul Jones. 
The Hon'ble Robert Morris Esq. 

He then left the service and took passage for Vir- 
ginia, having determined to leave the sea and to devote 
his time to agriculture and study. His brother Wil- 
liam died in 1773, and as he had no children and left 
no will, John undertook the management of the estate. 

In 1 775 his income from property at Tobago, which 
he had left in charge of agents, ceased, and this forced 



JoJui Paul yofies. 



6i 



him to find more profitable employment than planting. 
Attracted by the early exploits of the New England 
seamen, he saw his opportunity to serve his adopted 
country by giving to her the benefit of his experience 
as a navigator. He went to Philadelphia, where he 
offered his services to the Naval Committee of the 
Continental Congress, and accepted a commission as 
senior first lieutenant in the new navy. It was about 
this time that he assumed 
the name of Jones. His 
reason for doing this does 
not appear either in his 
own account of his life or 
in that of any of his bi- 
ographers. 

He was made second 
of^cer of the Alfred, 30 
guns, and as Lieutenant 
Jones he was the first 
naval ofificer to hoist the American naval flag under 
a salute of thirteen guns. This flag then consisted 
of 13 stripes red and white, with a rattlesnake across 
the folds stretched at full fength. Underneath was 
the motto, " Don't Tread on Me." 

Under Esek Hopkins, the first commander-in-chief 
of the new navy, he sailed on the expedition that cap- 
tured New Providence, and on the return of the fleet 
to New London, took part in his first naval fight, in 
the engagement of the Cabot, the Alfred and the 




62 A^nerican Naval Heroes. 

Colu7nbus with the British frigate Glasgow, 24 guns, 
off Block Island. During the fight Lieutenant Jones 
was between decks serving the first battery of the 
Alfred, having no voice in the direction of the battle, 
and therefore no blame could attach to him for the 
failure to capture the Glasgow. 

That Lieutenant Jones did not find Commodore 
Hopkins a weak man, or an inefficient commander is 
shown by the following letter addressed to Mr, Hewes, 
delegate to Conp^ress from South Carolina and the 
member of the Naval Committee to whom Jones was 
indebted for his commission : 

April 4th, 1776. 

Agreeable to your kind request, I have taken up my pen to give 
you the particulars of our cruise from the Capes of Delaware. On 
the 17th of Feb'y the Fleet put to Sea, with a Smart North East 
wind. In the night of the nineteenth (the Gale having Increased) 
we lost Company with 'the Hornet and Fly tender. We Continued 
Steering to the Southward without seeing a Single Sail or meeting 
with anything remarkable till the first of March when we Anchored 
at Abaco (one of the Bahamia Islands) having previously brought 
too a Couple of New Providence Sloops to take Pilots out of them 
— by these People we were informed that there was a large Quantity 
of Powder with a number of Cannon in the two Forts of New Prov- 
idence. In Consequence -of this Intelligence the Marines and 
Landsmen to the number of 300 and Upwards under the Command 
of Captn Nicholas Embarked in two Sloops. It was determined 
that they should keep below Deck 'till the Sloops were got in Close 
to the Fort and they were then to land Instantly and take possession 
before the Island could be alarmed — this however was rendered 
abortive as the Forts Fired an alarm on the approach of our Fleet. 
We then ran in and anchored at a small Key, 3 Leagues to Windward 
of the Town and from thence the Comodore dispatched the marines 
with the sloop Providence and Schooner Wasp to cover the Land- 
ing, they landed without oposition and soon took possession of the 



JoJm Paul Jones. 63 

Eastern Garrison, F. Montigne, which (after Firing a few shot) the 
Islanders had abandoned. The Next morning, the Marines marched 
from the Town and were met by a messenger from the Govr. who 
told Captn Nicholas that "The Western Garrison (F. Nassau) was 
ready for his reception and he might march his Force in as soon as 
he pleased." This was effected without firing a Gun on our side — 
but the Govr has send of 150 barrels of Powder the Night before. 
Inclosed you have an Inventory of the Cannon stores, &c., which we 
took Possession of and brought off in the Fleet we continued at N. 
Providence till the 17th ulta and then bro't off the Govr and two 
more Gentn Prisoners — our Cruise was now directed back for the 
Continents, and after meeting with much bad weather, on the 5 th 
Inst off Block Island we took one of Captain Wallace's tenders the 
Hawke schooner of 6 guns the next morning we fell in with the 
Glasgow man of war and a Hot Engagement Ensued the particulars 
of which I cannot communicate better than by extracting the minutes 
which I entered in the Alfred's Logbook, as follows. 

At 2 A. M. Cleared the Slop for Action at 3^ past do the Cabot 
being between us and the Enemy began to Engage and soon after 
we did the same — at the third Glass the Enemy bore away and by 
crouding sail at length got a considerable way ahead made signals 
for the of ye English Fleet at Rhoad Island to come to her Assist- 
ance, and steered directly for the Harbour. The Comodore then 
thought it Imprudent to Resign our Prizes &c. by Pursuing further, 
therefore to Prevent our being decoyed into their hands, at ^ past 
6 made the signal to leave off Chase and hauled by the wind to join 
our Prizes. The Cabott was disabled at the second broadside — the 
Capt. being dangerously Wounded ; the Master and several men 
killed — the Enemy's whole Fire was then directed at us, and an 
unlucky shot haveing carried away our Wheel Block and Ropes the 
Ship broached too and gave the Enemy an opportunity of Rakeing 
us with serving Broadsides before we were again in Condition to 
steer the Ship and Return the Fire. In the Action we Received 
several shot under Water which made the ship Verry Leaky — we had 
besides the Main mast shot thro' and the upper works and Rigging 
very considerably damaged — Yett it is surprising that we only lost 
the 2nd lieutenant of Marines and 4 men of whom, a Midshipman 
prisoner Martin Gellingwater who was in the Cockpit and had been 
taken in the Bomb Brig Bolton yesterday — we had no more than 
three men dangerously and 4 slightly wounded. 



64 American Naval Heroes. 

The following paragraph in brackets is marked out, 
but is perfectly legible : 

[It is your province to make the Natural Comments arising from 
the subject I wish to avoid Cencuring Individuals — the utmost del- 
icacy is necessary and highly becoming in my situation — I there- 
fore Content myself with relating Facts only, and leave wiser heads 
the privilege of determing their propriety]. 

I have the pleasure of Assuring you that the Commr in Chief is 
respected thro the Fleet and I verily believe that the officers and 
men in general would go any length to execute his Orders. It is 
with pain that I confine this plaudit too an individual — I should be 
happy in extending it to every Captain and officer in the Service — 
praise is certainly due to some — but alas ! there are Exceptions. It 
is certainly for the Interest of the Service that a Cordial Interchange 
of Civilities should subsist between Superiour and Inferiour officers 

— and therefore it is bad policy in Superiours to behave toward their 
inferiours indiscriminately as tho' they were of a lower Species. 
Such a Conduct will damp the spirits of any man. Would to heaven 
it were otherwise but in sad truth this is a Conduct too much in 
Fashion in our Infant Fleet — the ill Consequences of this are obvious 

— men of Uberal minds, who have been long accustomed to com- 
mand can 111 brook being thus set at naught by others who pretend 
to claim a monopoly of sense, the rude ungentle treatment they 
experience, creates such heart burnings as are no wise consonant 
with that cheerful ardour and spirit which ought ever to be the Char- 
acteristic of an Officer — and therefore when he adopts such a line 
of conduct in order to prove it — for to be well obeyed, it is nec- 
essary to be esteemed — who ever thinks himself hearty in the ser- 
vice is widely mistaken. 

The Fleet having been reinforced with 200 men lent from the 
Army is now in condition for another Enterprize and we expect to 
embrace the first wind for Rhode Island when I hope we shall 
meet with better success as we understand that the Scarborough is 
now there, it is Proposed to clean the ships at Rhode Island or 
Providence that our detention there will admit of a return of letters 
from Philadelphia meantime with a grateful sense of Past favours I 
have the honour to be with Much Esteem 

Sir Your very obliged 

Most humble servant 

J. P. Jones. 



Johu Paul yones. 65 

Lieutenant Jones was promoted to the captaincy of 
the Providence, 12 guns and ']0 sailors, and reported 
at New York where he recruited marines to strengthen 
the new navy. He convoyed vessels loaded with can- 
non and army supplies between Providence, New York 
and Philadelphia. This was a dangerous service, as 
the coast was swarming with British war-ships ready 
to swoop down on any Yankee vessels. 

On Board Sloop Providence, ) 
New York, 19th May 1776. j 
To J. Hewes. 

Sir : I had the honour of writing you the history of our Cruise in 
the Fleet from the Capes of Delaware till our arrival at N. Lond. 
iithultm. The letter contained a Particular acct of the action 
with the Glasgow in an Extract from the Alfred's Logbook — also 
some Free thoughts on Certain Characters in the Fleet, &c. it was 
enclosed to Mr. Sproat and by ill luck fell into hands not the most 
agreeable on its way to the Post Ofifice from which circumstance I 
much fear it hath miscarried. * * * 

In consequence of the last Trial I was ordered to take the Com- 
mand of this vessel the loth Currt. I arrived here yesterday after- 
noon in 36 hours from Rhode Island with a return of Upwards of 100 
men besides ofificers which Gen'l. Washington lent to the Fleet at N. 
London. I left the A. Doria and Cabot at Rhode Island ready to sail 
together on a four weeks Cruise — what will become of the Alfred 
and Columbus, Heaven only knows — the seamen have been so 
sickly since the fleet returned to the Continent that it will be Impos- 
sible to man them both without others can be Entered. I have 
landed G. W. [Washington] soldiers and shall now apply to shipping 
men if any can be obtained — but it appears that the seamen almost 
to a man had entered into the army before the Fleet was Set on 
Foot and I am well informed that there are four or five thousand 
seamen now in the land service. (If this be admitted I will affirm 
that without an order to draft men out of the army the thirteen 
new ships may rot in the Harbour for want of hands.) 

The unfortunate Engagement with the Glasgow seems to be a 
General reflection on the Officers of the Fleet — but a Uttle reflec- 



66 American Naval Hei'ocs. 

tion will set the matter in a true light, for, no officer, under a supe- 
riour, who doth not stand charged by that superiour for cowardice 
or misconduct can be blamed in any occasion whatever. For my 
own part I wish a general Enquiry might be made respecting the 
Abilities of Officers in all Stations and the Country would not be 
cheated (by granting Commissions). I may be wrong (but it doth 
appear to me that the Qualifications of a Jack alone), but in my 
opinion, a Commander in the Navy ought to be a man of strong 
and well connected sense with a tolerable Education — a Gentleman 
as well as a Seaman both in Theory and Practice — for, want of 
learning and rude, ungentle manners are by no means the charac- 
teristics of an officer. I have been led into the subject on feeling 
myself hurt as an individual by the Censures that have been indis- 
criminately thrown out — for altho' my station confined me to the 
Alfred's lower deck Guns, where I Commanded during the Action 
(and called for all my attention) and tho' the Commodore's letter 
which hath been Published says "All the officers in the Alfred 
behaved well" Yet still the publick blames me among the others for 
not taking the Enemy. 

The following paragraph in this letter refers to 
Captain Saltonstall of whom Jones spoke more openly 
in a subsequent letter. Captain Saltonstall did not 
lack enterprise but his First Lieutenant could not 
submit to his temper which appears at times to have 
been unbearable. 

I declined the command of this Sloop at Philadelphia, nor 
would I have accepted it but for the Rude, Unhappy temper of my 
late Commander. I now reflect with pleasure that I had Philosophy 
sufficient to avoide quarreling with him, and that I even had his 
blessing at Parting — may he soon become of an Affable disposition 
and may he find pleasure in communicating Happiness around him. 

There is little confidence to be placed in reports — otherwise the 
Lieutenants of the Fleet might have reason to be Uneasy when they 
are told that the several Committees have Orders to appoint to all 
the officers of the new ships except only the Captain's. I cannot 
think that they will be so far overlooked who at first stept forth and 
showed at least a willingness Nor can I suppose that my conduct 



Jo Jul Paid Jones. 67 

in the Service will, in the Esteem of the Congress subject me to be 
superseded in favour of a younger officer especially one who is said 
not to Understand Navigation — I mean the Lieutenant of the 
Cabot — who was put in Command of the Fly at Reedy Island after 
I had declined it. I was then told that no new Commission would 
be given, and I considered her as a paltry message boat fit to be 
commanded by a Midshipman but on my appointment to the Provi- 
dence I was indeed astonished to find my Seniority Questioned 

the Commodore told me he must refer to the Congress. I have 
rec'd no new Commission — I wish the matter in dispute may first 
be Cleared up. I will Cheerfully abide by whatever you thmk 
right — at the same time I am ready at any time to have my pre- 
tensions enquired into — by men who are Judges. When I applied 
for a Lieutenancy I hoped in that rank to have gained much Useful 
Knowledge from men of more Experience than myself. I was, 
however mistaken for instead of gaining information I was oblio-ed 
to inform others — I formed and Exercised and Trained the men 
so well to the use of the Great Guns in the Alfred that they went 
through the motions of Broadsides and Rounds as exactly as Soldiers 
generally perform the Manual Exercise. When I have got what 
men are to be had here, I am ordered back to Providence for fur- 
ther instructions — the sloop must be hove down and considerably 
repaired and refitted before she can proceed properly on any Cruise. 
I should esteem myself in being sent for to Philadelphia to act 
under the more Immediate direction of the Congress especially in 
one of the New Ships — I must rely on your interest therein — the 
largest and I think by far the best of the Frigates was launched the 
day after I left Providence — but from what I can learn neither of 
them will equal the Philadelphia Ships — the Columbus was heaving 
down and the Alfred was hauling into the Wharf when I sailed. 

I send this by the Commodore's Steward who hath leave to visit 
his wife at Philadelphia and will call on you on his return in a day 
or two. I expect he will overtake me here if I succeed in entering 
men — but if I should be gone he will follow me on to Rhode Island 
and Providence. May I hope for the honour of a letter from you 
by his hands? It will singularly oblige me and greatly add to the 
favours already conferred on 

Sir, Your much obliged 

and very humble servant 

T. P. loxES. 



68 American Naval Heroes. 

On August 8, 1776, he received from John Han- 
cock, president of Congress, his commission as cap- 
tain of the Providence, with directions to operate 
against the navy of Great Britain, and with her he 
cruised six weeks. During this time he captured six- 
teen prizes, and by his skillful seamanship succeeded 
in evading the British frigate Solway off Bermuda, 
afterward keeping up a tantalizing running fight with 
the British frigate Milford. He cruised as far north 
as Canso, where he captured three schooners and nine 
fishing-vessels. After removing the valuable cargo to 
his own vessel and such to crafts as he wished to carry 
into port, he transferred the captured crews to the 
remaining vessels, and provided them with provisions 
necessary to carry them home to England. In Novem- 
ber he attacked a coal fieet at Cape Breton, rescued 
the American sailors imprisoned in the coal mines 
there, and captured three ships, which, however, his 
old enemy the Milford succeeded in cutting out from 
his fleet. He also captured a large British transport 
laden with provisions and clothing, and a privateer 
from Liverpool which he armed and manned and gave 
to the command of Lieutenant Saunders. Upon his 
return from this cruise, after disposing of his prizes in 
Boston and being relieved of the care of his prisoners, 
he was without a command, but did not cease to advise 
the government as to the needs of the new navy, and 
suo-o-ested many ways in which it could be improved 
and strengthened. 



yoJui Paul yones. 



69 



1 




N G R E S S. 



ThsDEL'EOATES-of.the.UN] TED %'%KTY.% ol Nevi-Hampjhir^ MaJptMfciu.Bay, \ 
Rhodt-JPaid ComisRiciit,- Ncw-Tork Ncvi-Jk/pr, ttan/jhania, Delaware, f^aryhvj, Virgilm,\ \ 
l^orth-Crtmimt,, Scuith-CaroHnti.jniA Zeor^ia, TO j 

WE.-.rcpoCt^ erpecialTruft a icj Confidesce in your PatriotlCnl Valour, fendu.-'^iad Fidelicy, | 
O Oi -by tftere Prcfcnts, cc itlkuse and appoint you to be oAjy-'y^^^'^*-*^ \ 



•in the 



of the United 



of North-Anteiica, fitted out for he Defence of American Liberty, and for ipclling every hoflile | 
thereof. You are therefore car fully and dUigentlytodlfcharge the Duty'of yi^ceA^i**- j 
by d'oing and perfornning all n- maer of Things thereunto belonging. Ant wc do (tridly charg* I 
ulrcall OfEcers, Marin^ andSj jujie'n under your Command, to be olicdigajto .your Orders aj | 
'p,^ And you ate Jo obfci-ve and follow fuch Orders and Dirctions from Time to I 

$ you fliall receive from this o» d future Congrefs of the United SciJtes, or Ccnmittec of Congrcfs j 
Purpofe appdlnted, or Commahder in Chief for'tbt Time-being of the .Vavy of the. United 
any other^rour fuperior Offiur, "according to the Rules ?ad Difciplinc of War, the Ufage of 
id the Inftru£li6nj herewiifaL^ven you, ia Putfuance.of the .TruH_ yyfcd in you. \Tliil 
^on to continue in force until revokcUiby this. or 4 future Congrefs. 



B xOt<ter jJiihe COHctEjj,. 



Phesidikt 




fcZX&sTv: 



John Paul Jones's Comnnission as Captain. 



In Preble's " History of the American Flag," the 
following account of the rescue of the flag of the 
Bon Ho7itme Richard and its romantic preservation is 
given : 

" About ten days before the battle between the Bon Homme 
Richard and the Serapis, Paul Jones captured a British vessel of 
war and her prize, an armored ship called the Kitty, commanded 
by Captain Philip Stafford. The Englishman had put the Kittfs 
crew in irons, which were now transferred to the English. The 
crew of the Kitty volunteered to serve on board the Richard, and 
in the service of Paul Jones, in gratitude for the release from the 
British. Among these volunteers was James Bayford Stafford, a 



^o American Naval Heroes. 

nephew of the captain of the Kitty. Being educated, he was made 
an officer on board the Richard. In the memorable battle the flag 
was shot from the masthead of the Richard and fell into the sea. 
Lieutenant Stafford bravely sprang into the water, swam to the float- 
ing flag, and brought it on board, when he climbed the rigging and 
nailed it to what remained of the mast. In this dangerous exploit 
he was severely wounded by a sword stroke from a British olificer, 
and he never thoroughly recovered from the wound then received. 
The flag was transferred from the Richard to the Alliance when the 

former was given to the sea. 

"This flag was made in Philadelphia, 
by Misses Mary and Sarah Austin, un- 
der the supervision of General Wash- 
ington and Captain John Brown ; the 
principal idea of the design being 
taken from Washington's family es- 
cutcheon. The flag was presented to 
Lieutenant John Paul Jones by the 
ladies who made it. It was hoisted 
over the Alfred and carried at the 
masthead up and down the Delaware 
river, to the delight of thousands gathered on the river banks. 
Jones carried the flag with him to France, and when the Bon 
Homme Richard was fitted out for war he hoisted the flag to the 
masthead." 

The flag was subsequently presented to Lieutenant 

Stafford, according to the following document now in 

the possession of the present owner of the flag : 

Philadelphia, 

James Bayard Stafford: Monday, December 13th, i 784. 

Sir : I am directed by the Marine Committee to inform you that 
on last Thursday, the 9th, they decided to bestow upon you, for 
your meritorious services through the late war, " Paul Jones's Starry 
Flag of the Bon Homme Richard'' — which was transferred to the 
Alliance — a boarding sword of said ship, and a musquet captured 
from the Serapis. 

Your humble servant, 

James Meyler, Secretary pro tern. 




yohit Paul yojies. 



71 



The jealousy existing- in Congress between the 
North and the South operated to divide the counsels 
of the marine committee, and he was superseded in 
command by men far his inferior in naval experience 
and skill. It was not until May, 1777, that his claims 
to a high command were recognized, when he was 
made commander of the new sloop- of-war Ranger, 
his commission bearing date June 14, 1777. On 
that same date Congress resolved as follows: "That 
the flag of the United 
States should be thirteen 
stripes, alternate red and 
white ; that the union be 
thirteen stars, white on 
a blue field, represent- 
inof a new constellation." 
This new flag was sent 
to the new sloop-of-war 
Ranger, and it thus fell 
to John Paul Jones to be the first American naval 
officer to run up the Stars and Stripes to the mast- 
head of a United States naval vessel, as it had been in 
1775 to hoist to the mast-head of the Alfred the pine- 
tree and rattlesnake flag. 

On November i, 1777, the Ranger sailed from 
Portsmouth, N. H., flying the American flag, and with 
her John Paul Jones was to follow up, on the British 
coast, the successes achieved by Wickes, Dale, Con- 
nyngham and Johnson. 




72 American Naval Heroes. 

Jones carried a letter signed by John Hancock, 
president of Congress, to Franklin, Deane and Lee, 
the American commissioners at the court of Versailles, 
designating him as the commander of the American 
navy in Europe. His policy was to strike sharp and 
sudden blows on the unprotected commerce of Great 
Britain, and to make daring incursions on the towns 
and villages on the sea-coast, plundering and burning, 
and thus teaching by object lessons the methods pur- 
sued by British soldiers and sailors on unprotected 
cities and towns in America. 

Upon his arrival he expected to find ready for him 
a large man-of-war with such other swift sailing frigates 
as would make up a respectable fleet. Franklin prom- 
ised to give him the ship-of-war India7i then being 
built at Amsterdam. The British ambassador, how- 
ever, would not allow the ship to leave the stocks, and 
Franklin was obliged to present her to the King of 
France before her release could be secured. This, 
and other disappointments, delayed his aggressive 
movements until April, 1778, he meanwhile employing 
his sloop in convoying American vessels in and out of 
port and in cruising between Nantes and Brest. 

Tiring of this inactive life, and finding no immedi- 
ate prospect of obtaining additional vessels to make up 
a fleet, he set sail on his little craft, April 10, 1778, on 
what proved to be a memorable cruise. 

The exploits of Wickes, Dale, Connyngham and 
Johnson had already alarmed the inhabitants along the 



John Paul yones. 



/o 



coast. Jones was a Scotchman by birth, although a 
thorough American by choice and adoption, and to him 
capture meant death as a traitor and pirate. But he 
had adopted the motto wise and old, "Be bold! be 
bold!" and success for the cause he had espoused, 
rather than the honors it would brino-, blinded him to 
fear. His chief reliance w^as on his knowledge of the 
waters and his thorough seamanship, and his refusal 
to discount danger or anticipate defeat were the 
heaviest guns in his armament. 

He decided to direct his operations against White- 
haven and its vicinity, where his boyhood days had 
been spent and where he was personally known. 

On the fourth day out from Brest, when in St. 
George's Channel, the Ranger captured an English 
brigantine, and after securing her crew set her on fire. 
Three days later, when off Dublin, Jones captured the 
ship Lord CJiatham, bound for London. This prize 
he manned and sent into Brest. The next day he 
encountered the British sloop-of-war Drake, but 
avoided a set-to by outsailing her, when he put into 
the harbor at Whitehaven where he had planned to 
land and capture the town. The wind shifting, how- 
ever, he was obliged to head seaward to avoid being 
blown ashore. 

The next day he captured a schooner and sloop, 
both of which he scuttled and sank. He then deter- 
mined to surprise the Drake at her moorings at night. 
To this end he cleared the decks of the Ranger, con- 



74 American Naval Heroes. 

cealed her guns, and placing the grapnels ready at 
hand stationed a boarding party with pikes and cut- 
lasses ready to dash over her side. He put out his 
lights and piloted by a captured fisherman who had 
informed him of her location he made for the harbor. 
As they approached the Drake her bow was pointed 
seawaTd and Jones, whose hand had never left the wheel, 
with a sudden turn sent the Ranger athwart her cable, 
bringing up on her bow. His order, " Let go the 
anchor," was immediately obeyed, but it failed to drop, 
and the Ranger shot past the Drake in the darkness. 

At this, Jones with his own hand cut the cable which 
held the anchor, and as it dropped to the bottom of the 
bay the Ranger kept her course scarcely checked by 
the accident. Jones then turned her toward White- 
haven where he effected a landing. At the head of a 
party of thirty men in small boats he gained the fort, 
locked the sleeping garrison in the guard-houses, spiked 
the euns, and fired a number of the vessels, of which 
there were at the time two hundred and twenty seek- 
ing shelter in the harbor from the late storm. Day- 
light and the illumination from the burnino- vessels so 
lighted up the place as to disclose their bold operations, 
and the awakened inhabitants gathered upon the 
wharves before Jones had -been re- enforced by the other 
boats from the Ranger, and he was obliged to take to 
his boats and return to the sloop. 

He then ran over to the peninsula at the mouth of 
the Dee, where the Earl of Selkirk had his country 



yohn Pazil Jones. 



75 



residence on St. Mary's Isle. His plan was to seize 
the Earl and hold him as a hostage to insure the 
release of the American seamen incarcerated on board 
the prison ships in America and in Mill Prison, Ply- 
mouth. Upon landing they found Lady Selkirk and the 
family at breakfast, but the Earl was absent and the plan 
failed. The men de- 
manded some return 
for their venture and 
Jones allowed them 
to take the silver plate 
from the table, pre- 
venting them with dif- 
ficulty from ransack- 
ing the house. This 
proceeding greatly in- 
censed the people of 
the coast and, as re- 
ported, was a serious 
charge against Jones, 
losing him friends 

both in France and America. In a letter to Lady Sel- 
kirk, which was extensively published, he explained his 
action and the generous motive that led to the raid. 
This letter which was a frank and manly statement of 
his motive in taking up arms against his countrymen, 
recited the outrages perpetrated against the persons 
and property of Americans, described the scenes en- 
acted in the sea-fight between the Drake and the 




76 American Naval Heroes. 

Ranger with much grace of composition and power of 
description, declared his object in taking up the cause of 
American Independence to be the highest ambition of 
man, and avowed that he was not influenced by pros- 
pect of gain. He appealed to Lady Selkirk to use her 
influence toward directing her husband's good offices 
to the promotion of peace with the colonies, and 
to a generous and humane exchange of prisoners, and 
avowed his purpose to purchase and restore to her the 
plate at the earliest possible moment. Franklin char- 
acterized this epistle as "A gallant letter, which must 
give her ladyship a high opinion of the writer's gener- 
osity and nobleness of mind." 

When the prize property was sold after long delay, 
Jones purchased the plate at an exorbitant price, in 
consequence of the notoriety his letter had given it, 
and restored it to the Earl of Selkirk, who formally 
acknowledged its receipt. 

These two exploits of the Ranger so alarmed the 
whole line of sea-coast towns that beacon fires were 
burned on every headland. The Drake put out of 
Carrickfergus Bay determined to capture the daring 
" pirates." Jones was in just the humor to meet her in 
an open sea-fight and test the mettle of the two battle- 
ships. 

As they approached each other Jones disguised his 
vessel as a merchantman and keeping stern to, so 
deceived the Englishmen that a boat was sent out to 
determine her character. Jones quietly took the men 



JoJm Paul Jones. yj 

on board as his prisoner-guests. The Ranger then 
put out from the shore so as to gain sea-room, and 
this movement disclosing the character of the vessel, the 
Drake opened the engagement with the Yankee craft. 




Surrender of the Drake. 



The R a lister. 



The Drake. 



An exchange of broadsides was followed by a run- 
ning fight broadside to broadside, their armament being 
about equal. A crowd of witnesses to the fight lined 
the shores. The well directed fire from the Ranger 
pla)ed havoc with the spars, rigging and sides of the 



78 American Naval Heroes. 

Drake as well as with the men who thronged her deck. 
Her jib dropped over her bow and hung there useless. 
Her ensign disappeared from her stern. Her crew was 
being rapidly decimated. One shot laid low the cap- 
tain of the Drake, wounded in the head, and upon the 
next round the second officer was also killed, and the 
Drake struck her colors, the prize of the Ranger. 

During a conflict that lasted one hour and four 
minutes the gallant and intrepid commander of the 
Ranger had not received a scar, although always in 
the thickest of the fight. Of his crew one was killed 
and six wounded. He carried his prize to Brest one 
month from the day he set out on his memorable cruise. 

The French government had now openly con- 
cluded an alliance with the new American republic, 
and Jones received the first salute from a foreign power 
for the Stars and Stripes as he entered the harbor. 
The American commissioners tendered to him their 
hearty thanks and promised him a suitable vessel in 
which to continue his operations. He thereupon sent 
home the Ranger and awaited his "fine new ship." 

War had been openly declared between England 
and France, and the French navy was well supplied 
with ships, officers and men. The success of Jones 
gave rise to jealousy on the part of the French offi- 
cers and led to much trouble for the American com- 
missioners. 

Despairing at last of ever obtaining a ship of his 
own, Jones wrote to the Prince of Nassau imploring 



John Paul Jojies. 79 

him to give him a commission under the French flag. 
At tliis time a first-class ship was offered to him if he 
would give up his commission in the American navy 
and take charge of a privateering expedition organized 
by a party of wealthy French citizens for gain. His 
reply is worthy of record : 

"Were I in pursuit of profit I would accept the 
offer without hesitation. But I am under such obliga- 
tions to Congress that I cannot think myself my own 
master. As a servant of the imperial republic of Amer- 
ica, honored with the public approbation of my past 
services, I cannot from my own authority or inclination 
serve either myself or my best friends in any private 
line whatsoever, unless where the honor and interests 
of America is the premier object." 

Impatient at the continued delay in being put in 
command of a vessel, Jones wrote to Franklin, to M. 
de Sartine, and to Chaumont, urgent letters deploring 
his enforced inactivity. 

While Jones was thus idle, Lafayette returned to 
France in the Alliance, the finest ship in the American 
Navy. Congress had given the command to Pierre 
Landais, formerly a French naval officer, but then an 
avowed citizen of the United States. This action by 
Congress greatly annoyed Jones and engendered an ill 
feeling between the two officers. Lafayette lightened 
his disappointment by proposing an expedition against 
England in which he would command the land forces 
while Jones should command the fleet, which was to 



8o American Naval Heroes. 

include the Alliance. The scheme did not however 
find favor and it was abandoned, much to the chagrin 
of Jones, who by this time had thoroughly lost his 
patience and displayed genuine anger. 

In his despair he was restlessly walking the streets 
one day when he chanced to pick up a leaf torn from 
Poor Richard's Almanack, written and printed by 
Franklin in America years before. On the leaf he 
read these words: " If you wish to have any business 
done faithfully and expeditiously, go and do it your- 
self. Otherwise send some one." This advice deter- 
mined him to go to Versailles and personally insist 
upon being furnished a ship. This he did, and the 
government fitted out the Duras, formerly an old India 
trading ship, arming her with 40 guns — six i8-pound- 
ers and thirty-two 12-pounders. Out of gratitude to 
Franklin, Jones re-christened the ship B071 Homme 
Richard. In making up her crew he was obliged to 
accept French peasants, and British vagabond sailors 
who had deserted from the navy and were ready to 
serve any nation for pay. He managed to recruit 
about thirty Americans, mostly exchanged seamen from 
British prisons, including Lieutenant Richard Dale, 
whom he made second oflficer, and he filled his of^- 
cial roll entirely from American seamen. The Rich- 
ard was thus manned with 329 olificers and men. The 
remainder of the fleet consisted of the Alliance, 36 
guns; the Pallas, 32 guns; the Cerf, 18 guns; and the 
Vengeajice, 12 guns, all commanded by French ofificers 



John Paul Jofies. 8i 

and manned by French crews. The Alliance and the 
Ccj'/wQTQ the only really seaworthy crafts in the fleet. 
On leaving the harbor the Alliance fouled the Richard 
and so injured her that all the ships were obliged to put 
into port while she was being repaired. This incident 
only fanned the spark of antagonism existing between 
Jones and Landais, and led the latter to make this 
public declaration: "I shall soon meet Captain Jones 
on shore. Then I will either kill him or he shall kill me." 
After a series of mishaps and the capture of a few 
prizes, the fleet returned to L'Orient to refit. It was 
August 14th before the squadron put to sea again, 
and they were then re-enforced by two French priva- 
teers. Jones, after rescuing a French ship laden 
with brandy and wine, captured by a British privateer, 
determined to proceed to Leith, the seaport of Edin- 
burgh, seize, the town, levy a ransom upon the inhab- 
itants and secure an exchange of prisoners and proper 
treatment for the American seamen incarcerated in 
British dungeons. The obstinate refusal of the French 
commanders to co-operate in this movement delayed 
its organization, and it was not until Jones agreed to 
levy a ransom of ^'200,000, that their cupidity over- 
came their cowardice and the movement was put upon 
foot. The fleet reached Inchkeith Island, within ten 
miles of Keith, and here Jones made every preparation 
to land his troops. He wrote to the chief magistrate : 

" I do not wish to distress the poor inhabitants. My intention 
is only to demand your contribution toward the reimbursement which 



82 American Naval Heroes. 

Britain owes to the most injured citizens of America. Savages would 
blush at the unmanly violations and rapacity that have marked the 
tracks of British tyranny in America, fiom which neither virgin inno- 
cence nor helpless age has been a plea of protection or pity. Leith 
and its port now lay at our mercy. And did not the plea of 
humanity stay the hand of retaliation I should without advertisement 
lay it in ashes. Before I proceed to that stern duty as an officer, 
my duty as a man induces me to propose to prevent such a scene of 
horror and distress by means of a reasonable ransom, and I have 
authorized the bearer to agree with you on terms of ransom, allowing 
you exactly half an hour's reflection before you finally accept or 
reject the terms which he shall propose." 

They were off the little town of Kirkcaldy, and it 
was the Sabbath-day. The inhabitants had left the 
church. Their pastor, standing upon the beach, with 
uncovered head and uplifted hands, surrounded by his 
reverent flock, offered in broad Scotch this extraor- 
dinary prayer : 

" Now, dear Lord, dinna ye think it a shame for 
ye to send this vile pirate to rob our folk o' Kirkcaldy ? 
Ye ken that they are puir enow already, and hae nae- 
thing to spare. The way the wind blaws he'll be here 
in a jiffy, and wha kens what we may do ? He's nae 
too good for onything. Muckle's the mischief he has 
dunn already. He'll burn their hooses, take their very 
claes and strip them to the sark. And, waes me, wha 
kens but that the bluidy villain might tak their lives ! 
The puir weemen are most frightened out of their 
wits, and the bairns screeching after them. I canna 
think of it ! I canna think of it ! I have been long a 
faithfu' servant to ye, O Lord ; but gin ye dinna turn 
the wind about and blaw the scoundrel out of our 



John Paul Jones. 83 

gates I'll nae stir a foot ; but will just sit here till the 
tide comes in and drowns me. Sae tak your wull o' it, 
Lord!" 

The wind did turn, and in spite of their best efforts 
to withstand it, the fleet was blown out to sea and one 
of the captured ships was swamped by the tornado. 
The next morning, under a fair sky, Captain Jones de- 
termined to sail back and renew the negotiations, but 
the French officers refused to stand by him. Sound 
judgment had directed his movements, but when they 
promised success he had no power to command his 
squadron, as the crafty Landais had obtained from the 
French Minister of Marine just before sailing a cojicor- 
dat binding the -five captains to act together, and now 
first exhibited that document to Captain Jones who 
found that he could only command his own ship. 

The Richard, Pallas. Alliaiice and Vengeance then 
proceeded south, and on the 23d ran upon a fleet of 
forty-one sail of merchantmen under convoy of two 
British ships-of-war. These proved to be the Conntcss 
of Scarborough, 28 guns, and the Serapis, 44 guns. 
The Pallas bore down on the Countess of Scar- 
borough, and after an hour's conflict the white cross 
of St. George fell before the Stars and Stripes. The 
Alliance held aloof from the conflict. The Vengeance 
remained far to the windward. 

The Richard and the Serapis approached within 
hailing distance and were left as single-handed com- 
batants. T\i^ Serapis carried twenty i8-pounders, and 



84 American Naval Heroes. 

21 smaller guns, and could throw six hundred pounds 
of iron at one discharo-e. She was one of the finest 
frigates in the British navy, and carried 325 officers 
and men. The Richard had six i8-pounders, and 
thirty-four 6, 9, and 12-pounders, and could throw 
four hundred and seventy-four pounds of iron at one 
discharge. She was an old ship refitted as a frigate, 
and was manned by 375 men. 

The battle opened an hour after sunset. The sea 
was lighted by a full moon shining from a cloudless 
sky. The combatants were three miles off the rugged 
cliffs of Flamboroueh. The cliffs were crowded with 
spectators, as were the piers and shore front. A 
light breeze carried the two ships slowly together 
and abreast, bow to bow, and within pistol shot dis- 
tance. The Serapis hailed the Richard, and simul- 
taneously they opened their broadsides. Each did 
effective work in carrying destruction and death in 
their wake. Two of the i8-pounders on the Richard 
burst, killing every man working them and so des- 
troying the deck as to render useless the four remain- 
ing heavy guns. This left twenty i8-pounders on the 
Serapis and only six 9 and 1 2 -pounders on the Richard. 
In this unequal fight broadside followed broadside, 
producing a continuous flash and an uninterrupted 
roar. The smoke hid the antagonists from the spec- 
tators on shore, and they could not witness the man- 
oeuvres of the vessels as each endeavored to cross the 
other's bow in order to rake the deck of her opponent 



yohn Paul yoncs. 85 

from bow to stern. The Richard had lost several of 
her braces and would not readily obey her helm. The 
bowsprit of the Serapis chanced to cross the deck of 
the Richard near the mizzen-mast and Jones lashed it 
it to the mast, swinging the stern of the Serapis 
around to the bow of the Richard. Their respective 
riggings became entangled and the muzzles of their 
guns often touched. The shots from the Richard had 
cut nearly through the masts of the Serapis and the 
i8-pounders on the Serapis had torn into one im- 
mense porthole the side of the Richard, exposing her 
guns and leaving the deck to be supported only by 
the stanchions. Her water-line was also so cut as 
to admit torrents of water. Each succeedine broad- 
side carried with it more destruction. The marines on 
the quarter-deck of the Richard picked off the gun- 
ners of the Serapis before they could apply the match, 
and in turn succumbed to the murderous storm of 
grapeshot that swept the quarter-deck. Men in the 
riggings of each ship kept up an incessant firing on 
any exposed enemy. Captain Jones's battery of 12- 
pounders was silenced and the ships were drifting 
apart. 

At this supreme moment Jones ordered his men to 
prepare to board the Serapis, and one hundred men 
stood ready. The vessels drifted together and Jones 
directed the two ships to be lashed broadside to broad- 
side. They were so close that the gunners were obliged 
to run their rammers through the ports of the enemy's 



86 American Naval Heroes. 

ship to gain room to load their guns. The rigging 
was torn to shreds and the timbers shattered. The 
volume of smoke was so dense that the gunners could 
see the enemy only as the concussions for a moment 
cleared the air. With gleaming swords, exploding 
pistols and frenzied cries, one hundred men rushed 
over the side of the Scrapis to meet an equal num- 
ber armed with pike, sabre and pistol, with defiant 
yells. In midnight darkness, lighted only by flashes 
from death-dealing engines of war, and enveloped 
In sulphurous smoke, the contending crews, now re- 
enforced by every available man in either ship, en- 
gaged in a hand-to-hand conflict on the deck of the 
Serapis. They were no longer men, but demons 
butchering each other. Dead bodies strewed the 
deck slippery with blood. Prayers, oaths, shrieks, 
groans, yells, blended with clash of sabres and the ring 
of pistol shots, and yet one of the chief actors in the 
carnage had written to Lady Selkirk these words : 
" Humanity starts back from such scenes of horror and 
cannot sufficiently execrate the vile promotors of this 
detestable war." 

The boarders were driven back to the bloody deck 
of the Richard, and at that moment the respective 
commanders stood, each on his own quarter-deck, 
within a few feet of the other. 

It was too dark to see the ensigns, and Captain 
Pearson of the Serapis shouted, 

" Have you struck your flag? " 



John Paul Jofies. 87 

" No," thundered the unconquered Jones, " I have 
not yet begun to fight." 

He ordered his men back to their guns, and serving 
them with his own hands, directed his broadsides so 
rapidly and with such precision that every shot told 
on the enemy's ship. His guns became heated from 
rapid firing, and each rebound shook the Richard from 
stem to stern. She was sinking- An officer went 
below and humanely released 300 prisoners ^confined 
in the hold. They rushed from death below to death 
above, as the guns of the Sci-apis were sweeping the 
deck. The rudder of the Richard was useless, and 
the fire in her hold was making toward the powder 
magazine. The prisoners were ordered to the pumps, 
and the powder was thrown into the sea. Such was 
the desperate condition on board the Richard two and 
a half hours after the first broadside had been fired. 

Captain Pearson thought to end the conflict by 
boarding the RicJiard, but his party was met and driven 
back by Jones, who had anticipated this movement. 
Meanwhile the powder monkeys on the Serapis had 
in the confusion strewn the decks with the cartridges 
as they served the gunners, and a hand grenade 
thrown from the yard arm of the Richard fired the 
train, producing an awful explosion, killing twenty 
men and stripping the clothing from all on the deck. 
This deprived the guns of gunners, and at the same 
instant the mainmast of the Serapis, already cut by the 
shot from the Richard, went by the board, leaving the 



88 American Naval Heroes. 

ship a helpless wreck. Thereupon Captain Pearson, 
with his own hand, struck his flag. 

Near the end of the fight the Alliance, which had 
stood aloof until then, made her appearance and dis- 
charged a broadside full into the stern of the Richard, 
and as she passed along her off side continued firing 
volley after volley into the broadside of the Richard, 
at the same time disregarding all signals made by Cap- 
tain Jones. After this extraordinary conduct Captain 
Landais withdrew from the scene of action. 

The captain and lieutenant of the Serapis were 
taken on board the Richard, while the men between 
decks, in the absence of an order from the officers, 
continued the firing, not knowing that the ship had 
surrendered. The fight had consumed three and a half 
hours, and the world has never recorded in all its 
naval chronicles another sea fight combining the ele- 
ments of heroism, daring, desperation and sanguinary 
results to equal that between the Bon Honmie RicJiard 
and the Serapis. 

In his official journal Captain Jones wrote : 

" A person must have been an eye-witness to form a just idea 
of the tremendous scene of carnage, wreck, and ruin that every- 
where appeared. Humanity cannot but recoil from the prospect of 
such finished horror, and lament that war should produce such fatal 
consequences." 

Jones took possession of his shattered prize and 
transferred to it his crew. Finding that it was impos- 
sible to carry the Richard to port, the wounded were 
removed to the Serapis, and standing on the deck of 



90 American Naval Heroes. 

his prize he saw the sea swallow up " the good old 
ship," and with her the forty-two bodies of her gallant 
seamen who gave up their lives to help win the fight. 
He took his disabled prize into the port of Texel. 
Holland. 

Jones was the hero of the day. In France and 
America the enthusiasm was boundless, while in Eng- 
land he was characterized as "the American corsair, 
the pirate Paul Jones," and a price of 10,000 guineas 
was offered for him, dead or alive. 

The Dutch government, fearing the displeasure 
of England, yet not desiring the French ships to leave 
its port, insisted that the American commodore, whose 
government Holland had not recognized, should leave 
Texel immediately with the American frigate Alliance. 
The British fleet watched the port to prevent his 
departure. 

Before he left he learned of the exchange of pris- 
oners, effected by Franklin, and had much satisfaction 
in the knowlege that the prisoners captured by him 
had by their exchange released from their long 
imprisonment all the American sailors in England. 
At Texel he also had the pleasure of meeting Cap- 
tain Connyngham, who was among the exchanged 
prisoners. On the Alliance he shipped a picked 
crew of 427 men, mostly these very Americans, who 
had just been liberated from British prisons. 

On December 26th he set sail through the North 
Sea by way of the Straits of Dover, in full view of the 



yohi Paul yones, 91 

British fleet in the Downs, past the Isle of Wight, 
through quite a fleet at Spithead, and past a number 
of cruising hne-of-battle ships flying the British flag, 
over a route of 1 500 miles without a single interruption, 
although every vessel in the British navy was on the 
lookout for him. He landed at Corunna, Spain, where 
he made needed repairs. 

Entering the harbor of L'Orient, February 13, 1780, 
having in convoy the American ship Livingston, he 
went to Paris, where he was courted by all the nobility, 
and presented with a gold-handled sword by the king. 
The American commissioners paid him every honor; 
the king (Louis XVI) invested him with the Grand 
Cross of the Order of Military Merit. He was the 
nation's guest at the Grand Opera and was given the 
queen's box. On his appearance the entire audience 
rose to their feet, and greeted him with cheers such as 
only impulsive Frenchmen can give. As the opera 
proceeded a laurel wreath was, unknown to him, sus- 
pended over his head. When he discovered it he 
at once arose and left his seat, taking one in a far 
corner of the box. This incident has ever since been 
quoted to the French schoolboys as an example of 
modesty. 

On returning to L'Orient he learned that his right 
to command the Alliance had been questioned by Cap 
tain Landais, whose claims were supported by Com- 
missioner Lee. On going on board the ship he found 
that Captain Landais had actually assumed command 



92 American Naval Heroes. 

and that he had Commissioner Lee as a passenger for 
the United States. 

The officers of the Alliance, including Jones and 
Dale, who would not consent to serve under Landais, 
were put on shore in a boat, and Jones at once repaired 
to Versailles and reported the affair to Franklin, who, 
upon consultation with the king, was directed to pro- 
ceed to L'Orient and order the officer at the fort com- 
manding the harbor to stop the Alliance and arrest 
Landais. It was thus in the power of Jones to fire 
upon the ship and take her by force, but from this 
action he desisted, and he allowed his old enemy to 
pass unharmed, rather than endanger the crew and 
the valuable cargo, so much needed by the patriot 
army in America. 

The Alliance reached Philadelphia under her sec- 
ond officer, as the conduct of Landais on the voyage 
made it necessary to put him under restraint, Lee 
testifying against him. Even Jones, whom he had so 
greatly wronged, charitably pronounced him insane. 

After delays from storms and escapes from ship- 
wreck, in consequence of which he had to put back 
into port, Commodore Jones, on December i8, 1780, 
finally left L'Orient for America, with the Ariel 
heavily laden with supplies for the American army. 
He encountered the British frigate Triinnph, Captain 
Pinder. and after a parley, during which Jones deter- 
mined the strength of the enemy, the Ariel opened 
fire. It was a dark night, and the flash from her 



John Paul yones. 93 

broad-side lighted the sea and enabled the gunners of 
the TriunipJi to train her guns. The firing continued 
rapid and effective on both sides, and the conflict 
lasted ten minutes, when the Triiimph struck her 
colors, and Captain Pinder cried for quarter, saying 
that half of his men were killed. With a few more 
broadsides Jones might have sunk the Triumph, and 
it was his duty to do this rather than allow her to 
escape. Relying, however, on the honor of the Brit- 
ish commander, he accepted his unconditional sur- 
render. The guns of the Ariel were abandoned, as 
the whole crew went upon deck to attend the wants 
of the wounded, and while they were thus engaged 
they saw the Triumph suddenly spread all sail and 
escape. As she could readily outsail the Ariel pur- 
suit was useless. 

On February 18, 1781, John Paul Jones arrived 
in Philadelphia after an absence of over three years. 
Here he was voted the thanks of Congress in three 
different resolutions and he received congratulatory 
letters from Washington, Hancock, Lafayette, and 
Adams. He was given charge of the construction of 
the frigate America, the largest 74-gun ship in the 
world, building at Portsmouth, N. H., and for sixteen 
months he devoted his tireless energies to superintend- 
ing the building of the ship. 

At a brilliant fete given to him at this time by 
the French minister, all the members of Congress 
being present, the minister, in the name of the King 



94 American Naval Heroes. 

of France, invested him with the Cross of Military 
Merit with which he had been honored while at Ver- 
sailles. 

Jones' hope, so long deferred, to command the 
best naval vessel afloat, was again to sicken his heart, 
as by act of Congress the America was transferred to 
the King of France to indemnify his government for 
the loss of the Magnijique, stranded in Boston Harbor, 
while serving the cause of Independence in America, 
Jones continued, however, to superintend the construc- 
tion of the ship, and amid the acclamation of thousands 
of spectators he directed the French and American 
flags to be intertwined at her stern as she glided grace- 
fully into her native element, November 5, 1782. The 
same day Chevalier Jones surrendered the America to 
Chevalier de Martigue. 

He was then promised the command of the Indian, 
the fickle mistress who had eluded his grasp while on 
the stocks at Amsterdam. She was in the possession of 
the State of South Carolina, loaned by the King of 
France to that state to defend her sea-coast, and had 
been rechristened South Carolina. Before passing 
into possession of the United States Navy she was cap- 
tured by a British frigate, and Jones was again left with- 
out a ship. He then joined the French fleet fitted out 
in Boston to cruise in the West Indies, but before oper- 
ations actually began the war came to an end, and he 
sailed for England in 1787, thence crossing over to 
France. 



John Paul Jones. 95 

Congress resolved, October ii, 1787, "That a 
medal of gold be struck and presented to Chevalier 
Paul Jones in commemoration of the valor and brilliant 
services of that officer, and that the Honorable Mr. 
Jefferson, Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States 
at the Court of Versailles, have the same executed 
with the proper device." 

Captain Jones fought in the cause of Indepen- 
dence twenty-three sea battles and was never van- 
quished. He made seven successful descents upon 
towns, and he captured two ships of equal size as 
his own, and two far his superior in armament and 
strength. He captured numerous store-ships and 
smaller vessels, and spread alarm throughout Great 
Britain, causing her to fortify her ports. He forced 
the British to stop pillaging and burning in America, 
and secured for American prisoners fair treatment and 
exchange as prisoners of war. 

He visited Denmark to prosecute a claim against 
the government, and from Copenhagen went to St. 
Petersburg, where he gained the friendship of the 
Empress Catherine, and was by her invested with the 
command of the Russian fleet operating against 
Turkey, at the mouth of the Dneiper. He was com- 
missioned Admiral, and won repeated victories over 
the Turks. Upon entering the service he had reserved 
the right to leave at any time that America might need 
his services, and not to be called, in any event, to fight 
ao-ainst either America or France. This conditional 



96 Americaii Naval Heroes. 

enlistment hindered his advancement in rank, and 
finally becoming dissatisfied with the service, he re- 
signed and returned to Paris. 

He received but a moiety of the prize money 
earned by him, and was still petitioning the French 
government for a settlement of his claims when he 
died, unhappy and disappointed, July 18, 1792. The 
same year the President of the United States had 
appointed him Commissioner and Consul to Algiers, 
but he did not live to receive his commission. 



VII. 



RICHARD DALE. 

" A person must have been an eye-witness to form a just idea of the tremendous 
scene of carnage, wreck and ruin that everywhere appeared. Humanity cannot 
but recoil from the prospect of such finished horror and lament that war should 
produce such fatal consequences." — yoJin Paul yones. 

In our account of the famous action with the Sei-- 
apis as given in the chapter devoted to the narrative 
of the exploits of John Paul Jones, we purposely omit- 
ted the part in the action played by Richard Dale as it 
could be more effectually told in the sketch of his life. 

He was a Virginian by birth, his father being a man 
of moderate means who lived in Norfolk county, and 
Richard, born November 6, 1756, was the eldest of 
five children. Left fatherless at an early age, the boy 
was placed in the care of friends. He was ambitious 
to be a sailor, and when twelve years old sailed with 
his uncle, master of a vessel, in a voyage to Liver- 
pool. He returned after an interesting experience of 
six months, reaching Norfolk in the summer of 1769, 
and remained at home till the spring of 1770, when he 
was bound an apprentice to Colonel Thomas Newton, 
a shipping merchant of Norfolk trading with the West 
Indies. 

He made repeated voyages, and met with the usual 
mishaps incident to apprenticeship as a sailor. His 



Richard Dale. 99 

first fall was from the spars lying- across the belfry 
and the gallows, a distance of fifteen to twenty feet, 
in which he sustained no injury save a severe shaking 
up. His next accident was while the vessel was sailing- 
rapidly before the wind and the jib-sheet swept him 
from the deck overboard. Being an experienced swim- 
mer he supported himself for a full hour after the vessel 
was rounded to before he was rescued. 

Colonel Newton made him chief officer of a val- 
uable brig in 1775. His promotion however did not 
satisfy his spirit of adventure and when the war for 
Independence took definite shape he determined to 
take part in the conflict. 

He engaged as a lieutenant on a vessel of war 
which was being fitted out at City Point by the State 
of Virginia to prey against British commerce. Norfolk 
was in the hands of the British, and an armed fleet 
occupied the harbor. 

Lieutenant Dale was sent up the James river to 
Sandy Point in a small boat to procure a cannon for the 
war schooner. On his return he was captured by the 
tender of a British frigate, carried to Norfolk and placed 
in confinement in the prison-ship where he remained 
several weeks. A schoolmate, Bridges Gutheridge, 
was in command of a tender in the service of the 
crown, and Dale, with no hope of speedy release, was 
induced by his friend to join the service of the crown. 
Together they cruised up the Rappahannock river and 
had several engagements with the vessels of the Vir- 



lOO American Naval Heroes. 

ginia navy in which they had several men killed. Dale 
himself was seriously wounded in the head by a musket 
ball and was taken by his companion back to Norfolk 
where he was confined in the hospital for several weeks. 

These were weeks of reflection to our young hero 
who had been too easily persuaded to desert his coun- 
try and join the enemy. To use his own words he 
resolved " never again to put himself in the way of the 
balls of his country." 

Upon his recovery he sailed for Bermuda with 
William Gutheridge, and when on the voyage back 
to Norfolk the vessel was captured in July, 1776, by 
the United States brig Lexington, Captain John Barry. 
On the day of his capture Dale told his story hon- 
estly and unreservedly to Captain Barry, who forth- 
with accepted him as a midshipman in the service of 
the United States. 

A short time afterward while continuing the cruise 
the Lexington was struck by lightning, and Midship- 
man Dale and the others on deck were rendered sense- 
less by the stroke. They gradually recovered and the 
brig continued on her course to Philadelphia, where 
Captain Barry was transferred to the command of a 
frigate, and the Lexington passed to the command 
of Captain Hallock, Dale continuing on the vessel as 
master's mate. After a cruise to Cape Fran9oIs, in 
the fall of 1776, she was on her return to the United 
States, and when off the capes of Virginia was taken 
by the British frigate, whose tender had captured 



Richard Dale. loi 

Dale when he was a Heutenant in the Virginia Navy 
in the early spring. A sudden gale parted the two 
vessels after Captain Hallock, Mate Dale, and four of 
the crew had been taken on board the Captain's vessel, 
and the remaining ofTficers and crew retook the Lex- 
ington and sailed her safely into Baltimore. 

In January, 1777, the captives were released at 
Cape Henlopen, whence Dale made his way to Phila- 
delphia. There he found the Lexington in command 
of Captain Henry Johnson, and was ordered to that 
vessel as second mate. 

They sailed from Baltimore for Bordeaux, France, 
with despatches from the Continental Congress, On 
the way over the Lexington captured several prizes, 
and proceeded to Nantes. The United States ship 
RepiHsal armed with sixteen 6-pounders, and com- 
manded by Captain Lambert Wickes, and the cutter 
Dolphin carrying ten 4-pounders, commanded by 
Lieutenant Nicholson, joined the Lexington, and this 
fleet under Captain Wickes cruised among the coast- 
ing trade of the British islands in May and June, 1777, 
capturing, despoiling and sinking many prizes. 

Finally a 74-gun British frigate separated the little 
fleet but they all reached French ports although in the 
chase the Rep7nsal had thrown overboard her guns to 
lighten the ship. 

In September, 1777, Lieutenant Dale sailed in the 
Lexington, Captain Johnson, from Morlaix for the 
United States. On the morning of the 19th they had 



I02 American Naval Heroes. 

an action with the EngUsh cutter Alert mounting ten 
6-pounders. The Lexington was unprepared for battle 
and no matches were at hand for firing the guns, which 
the gunners discharged by means of their muskets until 
the matches were prepared. The action was sustained 
for nearly two hours with unwavering resolution on 
both sides. The Lexington, which was manifestly at a 
disadvantage from the start, was badly cut in deck and 
sail and had lost several officers and men. The heroic 
and unconquerable gallantry, which was even then 
the acknowledged characteristic of American seamen, 
would not give up the unequal conflict until almost 
the last shot had been expended, when Captain John- 
son availed himself of a favorable breeze to crowd 
sail and effect an escape. The speed could not be 
maintained, however, and the Alert after four hours' 
chase overtook the Lexington. The conflict was re- 
newed with increased obstinancy on both sides. After 
exhausting everything on board available as a substi- 
tute for shot, the brig being literally a wreck, and the 
first lieutenant, sailing-master, captain of marines and 
at least half the men being killed and many of the 
remaining officers badly wounded, nothing remained 
but to strike the flag to the Alert. The crew of the 
cutter greatly outnumbered that of the Lexington, 
and consisted of experienced and picked men, while 
the Lexington had raw recruits as marines, and the 
officers and crew were without experience, only two 
or three having ever been in a fight before. 



Richard Dale. 103 

The American prisoners were carried to Plymouth, 
England, and were there subjected to a rigorous exam- 
ination to determine to what country they belonged, 
as many British subjects were serving on American 
privateers. Captain Johnson, Lieutenant Dale and 
the men were committed to Mill Prison on a charge 
of high treason. They were exposed to every indig- 
nity possible to be practiced upon condemned culprits, 
and after four months' confinement the public sense 
of justice was aroused, as the sufferings of these and 
other American prisoners in P2nglish dungeons became 
known through the few who escaped. The friends of 
justice in England subscribed £\ 7,000 for the benefit of 
these unfortunate men. and the subscribers appointed 
a committee to inquire into the matter. With the sanc- 
tion of Parliament they visited the prison and supplied 
the Americans with money, provisions and clothing. 

Captain Johnson and Lieutenant . Dale, having 
regained some of their wonted strength from the food 
so humanely furnished, laid plans to escape. After 
weeks of surreptitious labor they actually dug their 
wa)' under the walls of the prison, using their fingers 
to loosen the dirt and carrying it in their pockets until, 
while out for their daily exercise in the prison yard, 
and when the sentry's back was turned, they could 
(juietly distribute it as they walked. Thus Captain 
Johnson, Lieutenant Dale and their crew made their 
wa)' to liberty through their secret tunnel under the 
walls one night in the month of F'ebruary, 1778. 



104 American N'aval Heroes. 

After wandering for more than a week and encoun- 
tering many hardships and privations they divided 
company and Dale with two or three of his crew 
safely reached Loncion, where they embarked on a 
trading vessel bound for Dunkirk. 

Before the vessel could sail they were apprehended 
and re-committed to the same prison from which they 
had escaped. They were confined in the "black hole" 
for forty days, and were then given more enlarged 
liberty which Dale enjoyed for three months, when for 
singing "rebellious songs" he was re-committed to 
the " black hole." 

He again escaped, this time by boldly walking past 
the o-uards, in the disguise of a British soldier. The 
secret as to how he obtained his disguise Dale would 
not to his dying day disclose, and it was thought by 
many to have been at the expense of the life of the 
soldier wearing the uniform. 

He reached London in February, 1779, obtained 
a passport from the proper authority, and sailed for 
L'Orient, France, whence he repaired to Paris. 

John Paul Jones had succeeded in obtaining the 
Bon Homme Richard, and was then in search of 
American seamen to man her. On the application 
of Dale for a berth, the discriminating eye of Captain 
Jones detected the mettle of the young sailor, and 
after thoroughly testing his efficiency by employing 
him to aid in manning the American ship, he made 
him his first lieutenant. 



Richard Dale. 105 

Lieutenant Dale found the Bon Hoinine RicJiard 
to be an old Indiaman which had been a single-decked 
ship with a quarter-deck and forecastle. Commodore 
Jones had caused twelve ports to be cut in the gun- 
room below, where six old i8-pounders were mounted. 
It was planned to fight these guns either side in 
smooth water. On her main gun deck she had twenty- 
eight ports, resembling in construction an English 
thirty-eight, by the old mode of rating. These were 
provided with 12-pounders. The quarter-deck and 
forecastle had a battery of four 9-pounders each, 
aggregating 42 guns, making her armament the same 
as that of a 3 2 -gun frigate, — if the lower gun deck 
with the six old, and, as they proved, worse than use- 
less i8-pounders were not counted. He also found the 
vessel to have a high old-fashioned poop resembling a 
tower after the style prevalent in the early part of the 
eighteenth century. Except the general ofificers, the 
sea ofificers on the quarter and forward decks, and 
the gunners, the crew was made up from all nations, 
and in order to keep these under submission, one 
hundred and thirty-five soldiers or marines, also of 
mixed nationalities, were put on board. This made 
the total number on board three hundred and eighty, 
with all the of^cers and the gunners, Americans by 
birth or adoption. 

The Richard, as she was familiarly designated by 
the sailors, was accompanied on a cruise around the 
British Isles in search of prizes, by the American ship 



io6 America Ji Naval Heroes. 

Alliance, 36 guns, loaned to France and officered 
and manned by Frenchmen; the Pallas, ^2 g-yns; the 
hx\^ Revenge, 16 guns; and a cutter of 10 guns; all 
under the command of Commodore John Paul Jones. 
Of this fleet the Alliance and the cutter became 
detached and the other three vessels proceeded to the 
North Sea where it was determined to lay the town of 
Leith, Scotland, under tribute of ^^250,000 on pain of 
destruction by the fire from the fleet. 

This bold project was planned by the intrepid 
Jones, and gallantly seconded by Dale, who had felt the 
sting of British cruelty till it had extinguished pity 
from his heart. He predicted an easy accomplishment 
of their purpose. They appeared before the town on 
September 17, 1779, the marines were ready to be 
landed under a French commander, while Dale headed 
the seamen and was taking his place in the boat. 
Just then a squall arose and drove the entire fleet 
out of the Firth, by which time the whole town was 
alarmed and the exploit had to be abandoned. 

Jones and Dale then planned to return and burn 
the shipping in the port, but after the officers of his 
own ship had announced their readiness to carry out 
the scheme' and were anxious to be led into a danger 
that meant success or extermination, the more conser- 
tive commanders of the other vessels refused to co-op- 
erate, and their project failed of execution. Fearing 
that the Americans would in spite of their protest lead 
into the action, and thus force their support or leave 



Richard Dale. 107 

them to destruction, the Ve7tgeance and the Pallas left 
the Richard. They all came together again, how- 
ever, off Whitley, and they continued their depre- 
dations on the British commerce and captured and 
destroyed many vessels. 

The whole coast was alarmed, and the inhabitants 
were burying their plate, expecting at any moment a 
descent upon their homes. The news of the attempt 
on Leith and its almost miraculous escape, spread 
terror through the towns, and the knowledge that at 
least a dozen ships and brigs had been captured and 
as many destroyed in the very presence of a powerful 
British navy led the admiralty to make extraordinary 
efforts to destroy the American and French fleets. 

Commodore Jones not deeming it safe in view of 
the general alarm to remain close by shore, stood out 
towards Flamborough Head. Here he encountered a 
fleet of forty sails, consisting of Baltic ships under 
convoy of the British man-of-war Serapis, Captain 
Richard Pearson, and a hired ship, the Cotintess of 
Scarborough, 22 guns. Captain Piercy. 

The Serapis mounted twenty i8-pounders on 
her lower gun-deck, twenty 9-pounders on her upper 
gun-deck and five 6-pounders in both her quarter- 
deck and forecastle, an armament of 50 guns with a 
regular trained man-of-war's crew of 320 men. The 
Richard had dispatched a second lieutenant, a mid- 
shipman and six men to take some small vessels, 
and when she encountered the Serapis these were 



io8 



American Naval Heroes. 



absent as was a boat load of sailors carried off by a 
traitorous British boatswain. This left Commodore 
Jones, Lieutenant Dale and an inadequate number of 
subordinate officers, to manage a mixed and undis- 
ciplined crew speaking different languages, few under- 
standing the English language thoroughly. 




Bon Homme Richard and Serapis. 
From an old wood-cut engraved in 1S31. 

Despite this disadvantage, Jones determined to push 
the fight, and at the first round two of 'the i8-pound- 
ers on the lower eun-deck of the Richard burst, 
the explosions destroying the main gun-deck and dis- 
abling the guns occupying the position directly over 
the now useless heavy guns. The accident killed 
several gunners and a number of the crew. After 
lighting for some time and nearly an hour before the 



Richard Dale. 109 

Serapis struck her colors, the men from below reported 
the Richard sinking. This caused a panic and the 
master-at-arms let loose all the prisoners confined in 
the after hold, that they might save themselves from 
drowning like rats shut up in a box. These terrified 
beings became an impediment to working the guns or 
directing the ship. Lieutenant Dale was directed 
below and his report allayed the fears. He at once 
ordered the prisoners to man the pumps and keep the 
ship afloat, and he saw his order carried out by deter- 
mined authority, thus restoring order out of confusion. 

The gangway to the powder magazines had become 
blocked by the excess of idle men rushing here and 
there, and the guns of the Richard had become silent. 
At this critical moment an English captain released 
from confinement leaped to the deck of the Serapis 
and informed Captain Pearson of the condition on board 
the Richard, begging him to hold out a little longer as 
the Richard would soon strike or sink. The only g\ms 
available on the Richard were three on the quarter 
deck, while the Serapis had only three on her lower 
deck in working order. 

At this juncture the Alliance came up and Captain 
Landais, instead of obeying Commodore Jones' order 
to "lay the Serapis aboard on the larboard side," fired 
a broadside into the sinking Richard which killed the 
master's mate and the boatswain's mate and wounded 
several men, doing no damage to the enemy. He then 
stood some distance in his course, tacked, ran athwart 



I lo American Naval Heroes. 

the stern of the Serapis and the bow of the Rich- 
ard, and with a broadside raked both ships. The 
Serapis soon struck her colors, and Lieutenant Dale 
with the help of the main brace pennant of the Rich- 
ard swung himself on board the Serapis where he met 
Captain Pearson on the quarter deck. Dale was fol- 
lowed by Midshipman Mayrant and several men. He 
found but one man on the main-deck of the Serapis, 
the rest being below, or on the upper gun-deck. 
These made a slight resistance as they would not 
believe that the flag had been struck until so assured 
by Captain Pearson. There had been an exciting time 
on board both vessels for two hours. The ships had 
been so close together that the sides of the opposing 
ship had hindered the working of the guns. The 
gunners used the port holes of the enemy's ship 
and the openings caused by the shot to give play to 
the rammer in sending home the cartridges. The 
wadding had lodged in the riggings and after setting 
fire to the spars and sails dropped on the powder- 
strewn decks to further spread the flames. 

Heroic sailors on board the Richard had mounted 
to the main top where they picked off the gunners of 
the Serapis. They even ventured out in the main- 
yard directly over the hatchway of the Serapis and 
dropped hand-grenades into her lower deck strewn 
with powder, which had been scattered by the excited 
" monkeys " as they served the gunners. Thus the 
entire deck was turned into a charnel house. 



Richard Dale. 1 1 1 

Lieutenant Dale had been wounded early in the 
fight, but it was not till he had gained possession of 
the Serapis, conveyed the British officers prisoners on 
board the Richard and returned to go below and stop 
the fire of the Serapis gunners, that he found himself 
deprived of the use of one leg. 

The loss on the Richard was forty-nine killed 
and sixty-seven wounded, many having undergone 
the amputation of a leg or an arm during the con- 
tinuance of the fight. The loss on board the Serapis 
was about the same. The crew and prisoners on board 
the Richard tog&\.\\QY with the wounded, were conveyed 
to the deck of the Serapis, and the Richard with her 
gallant and heroic dead and with the Stars and Stripes 
flying, found a grave in the sea off Flamborough 
Head. 

The rest of the squadron sailed for Texel, Holland, 
where it arrived October 6, 1779. Here Commodore 
Jones took command of the Alliance and Dale accom- 
panied him as his first lieutenant. They sailed from 
Texel, in January, 1780, on a cruise and arrived at 
L'Orient, France, in March. Jones then went to Paris 
to report to the United States commissioners, and 
during his absence Captain Landais, through the 
friendly offices of United States Commissioner Arthur 
Lee, regained possession of the Alliance and under- 
took to influence Lieutenant Dale to join him as 
second officer. This the gallant and faithful lieu- 
tenant refused to do, protesting against the movement 



112 American Naval Heroes. 

in the absence of his superior. He avowed his wilHng- 
ness to make the effort to recover the ship even at 
the hazard of his Hfe. 

When Jones learned of the loss of his ship, he 
went to the king, who authorized him to use the guns 
of the fort to stop the Alliance, but rather than imperil 
the ship and her crew he allowed the unfaithful cap- 
tain to depart in peace. Captain Jones and Lieuten- 
ant Dale were given by the king the Ariel, a British 
twenty-gun ship captured by a French frigate, and they 
sailed in her for America in October, 1780, but were 
driven back by a storm and, after refitting, sailed again 
in January, 1781, arriving in Philadelphia on February 
18th following. 

Dale was then placed in command of the fleet of 
schooners belonging to the State of Pennsylvania, 
which were armed and manned from the Ariel and 
used to convoy vessels with public stores to the city. 
He was next appointed to the United States frigate 
Trnmbidl, 28 guns, Captain James Nicholson, then 
senior commander of the United States Navy. 

In August, 1 78 1, they sailed from the capes of 
Delaware, and before they had been out many hours 
fell in with the British frigate h^is, 32 guns, and the 
sloop of war General Monk, 18 guns. These gave 
chase to the Trumbull, and in her anxiety to escape 
she had fore topmasts and fore topgallantmasts car- 
ried away in the terrific storm then at its height. 
This crippled her speed, and Captain Nicholson hoping 



Richard Dale. 113 

to elude his pursuers in the darkness, put his ship 
about before the wind. After saiHng for a time he 
was surprised to find the Iris and the General Alonk 
alongside, the British captain having evidently antic- 
ipated the object of the movement. The Trumbtdl 
was taken unawares and her crew, being raw men, 
refused to fight. The contest was unequal and hope- 
less, and after a gallant resistance for a time, the guns 
being manned by the officers with a few reliable sea- 
men, Captain Nicholson struck the colors to save a 
needless loss of life. As it was. Lieutenant Dale 
and Lieutenant Murray were severely wounded. 

The captain of the Iris carried his prize into the 
port of New York and the wounded lieutenants were 
placed on parole. Upon being exchanged, Dale 
returned to Philadelphia in November, 1781. There 
he found that the marine committee had discontinued 
an aggressive naval warfare, depending on the ships in 
commission, the French fleet, and the privateers to 
annoy the British commerce. At the same time the 
British admiralty was authorized by Parliament to keep 
85,000 men, including the marines employed in the 
English navy. Lieutenant Dale thereupon engaged 
in the merchant service sailing on a ship engaged in 
trade with China. 

In June, 1794, the government appointed six cap- 
tains for the naval establishment and Dale was made 
one of these. He was given the fourth place in rank, 
and was appointed to superintend the building of a 



114 Americaii N^aval Heroes. 

frigate of the first-class at Norfolk. This project was 
abandoned, and Captain Dale again returned to the 
merchant service. 

In May, 1798, he was ordered to the command of 
the Ga?iges, the first man-of-war put to sea by the 
re-organized navy under the constitution of the United 
States. In view of threatened disturbance with France, 
he was ordered to cruise between Long Island and the 
Virginia capes, to capture all French cruisers hovering 
on the coast, and to re-capture all prizes they might 
have in convoy. A dispute in rank caused Dale to 
obtain a furlough and he returned to the Canton 
trade. 

In May, 1801, the flagstaff of the American consu- 
late at Tripoli was cut down, and in the act war was 
declared. Commodore Dale was appointed to the 
command of the squadron of observation to cruise 
in the Mediterranean and he hoisted the broad pen- 
nant on the President, Captain James Barron. The 
other vessels were the Philadelphia, Captain Sam- 
uel Barron, the Essex, Captain William Bainbridge, 
and the schooner Enterprise, Lieutenant Andrew 
Stewart. 

The fleet reached the straits of Gibraltar on July i, 
1 80 1, in the nick of time, as Commander Dale found 
anchored there a ship with twenty-six nines and sixes 
and two hundred and sixty men, commanded by the 
high admiral of Tripoli, and a brig with 16 guns and 
one hundred and sixty men. 



Richard Dale. 115 

The Bey of Tripoli had indeed declared war against 
the United States, and the admiral was to sweep the 
ocean of American trade, at that time very active and 
rich in freights. 

To prevent his escape Commodore Dale ordered 
Capt. Samuel Barron of the Philadelphia to lie off 
Gibraltar, and if the admiral ventured out, to capture 
him. Distributing his other vessels wherever their 
protection to American commerce was most needed, 
he repaired on his flag-ship to Tripoli and blockaded 
the port. He opened negotations with the Bey with- 
out obtaining any definite results, but the presence 
of the American fleet was more potent in keeping 
the peace than the tribute money before so lavishly 
furnished, and proved more effective in protecting 
American commerce and determining aggressive 
movements in the part of the Bey. 

In March, 1802, the Commodore having carried out 
his purpose, sailed for the United States with the Presi- 
dent arriving in Hampton Roads in April. In the fall 
of 1802 he was ordered by the Navy department to 
hold himself in readiness to resume command of 
the squadron which was to sail in the following 
spring for the Mediterranean. He was directed 
to command the flagship himself ; not carrying a cap- 
tain as on his former cruise. This direction he con- 
sidered it his duty to decline, as " regard for the 
honor of his country and for his own character 
would not permit him to return to the command in 



ii6 American Naval Heroes. 

a less dignified station than he had enjoyed before." 

He resigned from the service and settled in Phila- 
delphia, giving two of his sons to the naval service 
of his country. He originated a Mariners' church in 
Philadelphia and attended the service in person every 
Sunday afternoon. He devoted his fortune to charity, 
especially among the mariners. 

His eldest son, a midshipman, was killed on board 
the President while in action with a British squadron. 
The second son became a commander in the navy, and 
the youngest became a merchant in Philadelphia. One 
of his daughters was married to Judge Pettit of Phila- 
delphia, and his youngest became the wife of Commo- 
dore Read, United States Navy. 

Commodore Dale died in Philadelphia, Pa., Feb. 
26, 1826. 

Cooper says of him: "Jones found him a man 
ready and willing to second all his boldest and most 
hazardous attempts, so long as reason showed the 
probabilities of success ; but the deed done, none more 
thoroughly stripped it of all false coloring or viewed it 
in a truer light than he who had risked his life in aim- 
ing to achieve it." 



VIII. 

JOHN BARRY. 

"Not the value or command of the whole British navy would seduce me 
from the cause of my country." — yohn Barry. 

John Barry, the Irish sailor-boy and American naval 
hero, whom British gold could not buy, was born in 
County Wexford, Ireland, in 1745. He came to 
America in 1760 and settled in Philadelphia, if a sailor 
can be said to settle anywhere. The lad continued 
to follow the sea and soon rose to the command of a 
ship, finally becoming a ship-master in his adopted city. 

He was fast accumulating wealth when the Conti- 
nental Congress asked him to take charge of the 
building of the first naval fleet that sailed from Phila- 
delphia. To this patriotic duty he sacrificed his 
business, and when the brig Lexingto7i, 16 guns, the 
first finished of the fleet, was ready to sail, he was 
placed in command. In November, 1775, he started 
on a cruise, in which he succeeded in clearing the 
coast of a swarm of British privateers that were annoy- 
ing the commerce of the colonists and pillaging the 
towns and villages on the tide-water along the coast 
south of New York. His first prize was the Edward, 
an armed tender to the Liverpool, which he captured 



ii8 



American Naval Heroes. 



off the capes of Virginia, April 17,1775 after an excit- 
ing and close action that lasted an hour. The Edward 
was nearly cut to pieces and lost a considerable num- 
ber of her men, while the Lexington lost only four 
killed and wounded. 

This was the first capture of a vessel of war made 
by a regularly commissioned American cruiser in 




Captain John Barry. 

battle, and in October, 1776, Captain Barry received 
the seventh place in the regular list of captains in the 
United States Navy. He was appointed to the com- 
mand of the EffingJiani, 28 guns, one of the largest 
ships built at Philadelphia. 

While the Effing Jiam was in the Delaware, he 
with twenty-eight men made an attack in four boats 
on the blockading squadron in the river below Philadel- 
phia. He captured a schooner of 10 guns and thirty- 



yohn Barry, 1 1 9 

two men, together with four transports with provisions 
for the British army in Philadelphia. On the approach 
of two English cruisers he destroyed his prizes and 
escaped to the shore without the loss of a man. 

Shortly afterward the EffLiigham was bonded to pre- 
vent her falling into the hands of the British, and Cap- 
tain Barry served under Washington in the army oper- 
ating in New Jersey. 

An investigation connected with the loss of the 
Alfred in 1778, had relieved Captain Thomas Thomp- 
son, senior officer of the fleet at Boston, of the com- 
mand of the Raleigh, 32 guns, and Captain Barry was 
given the ship. 

Under his orders the Raleigh left that port Sep- 
tember 25, 1778, to convoy a brig and sloop. The 
same day she was chased by two ships, but they were 
lost in the darkness of the fog, and to be prepared for 
any emergency Captain Barry ordered his ship cleared 
for action. They played hide-and-seek in the fog for 
two days, and at 5 p. m. on the second day one of the 
strangers displayed the royal ensign of St. George and 
showed a battery of 14 guns on one side on her two 
decks. 

At this the Raleigh delivered a broadside in pass- 
inof which was- answered and a gfeneral eneaeement 
followed, costing the Raleigh her foretopmast and her 
mizzen topgallantmast. Her broadsides, however, so 
annoyed the stranger that she spread her canvas and 
changed her position to rake the Raleigh, but Captain 



1 20 American Naval Heroes. 

Barry brought his ship up alongside the stranger and 
made an attempt to board her which the spread of can- 
vas on the stranger easily thwarted. 

By this time the second stranger hove in sight and 
Captain Barry, after a counsel of his officers, decided 
to attempt to beach the Raleigh and thus escape. 

The strangers followed closely keeping up a lively 
firing, and about midnight hauled off after an engage- 
ment of seven hours, much of the time at close range 
to the great damage of the sails, rigging and spars of 
the Raleigh. 

After losing sight of the enemy Captain Barry 
cleared his rigging, keeping headed for the shore, 
when the strangers reappeared and opened fire at 
close range, which the RaleigJi answered with her 
stern guns until she grounded, when the larger of the 
straneers to avoid a like fate withdrew to a safe 
distance, both vessels keeping up a fire from a position 
on the RaleigJi s quarter. Finding that the island on 
which he struck was rocky, Barry determined to land 
and fortify his crew and then to burn his ship. 

With this purpose in view he landed with a portion 
of his crew, and when the boats returned for the next 
detail they found that the petty officer left in command 
had struck her flag and surrendered the ship, which 
soon floated and was carried away a prize. 

The strangers proved to be the Experiment, 50 
guns, Captain Wallace, and the Unicorn, 28 guns. It 
was the Unicorn that had so obstinately fought the 



Johii Barry 



121 



Raleigh. She had lost ten men killed and was badly 
cut up. The Raleigh lost 25 killed and wounded. 
Captain Barry and the portion of the crew on the 
island, Wooden Ball, off the coast of Maine, escaped 
to the main land. 

When Captain Landais was dismissed from the 
service Captain Barry was given command of the 




Alliance. 32 guns, which had taken so inglorious a part 
in the fight between the Bon Homme Richard 2ind the 
Serapis. 

In February, 1781, he sailed from Boston for 
France having as a passenger Colonel Henry Laurens 
charged with an important mission to the French 
Court. He landed Colonel Laurens and takino- in 
convoy the Marquis de la Fayette, 40 guns, laden with 



122 



American Naval Heroes. 



stores for the American army, he sailed from L'Orient 
March 31, 1781. When three days out he fell in with 
\\\^Mars, 26 guns and 1 12 men, and the Minerva, 10 
guns and 55 men, both of which were captured with- 
out offering resistance. He then left the prizes in 
charge of the La Fayette. 

On May 29th he encountered the Atalanta, 16 guns 




Engagement between the Atalanta and the Alliance, 

and 130 men, Captain Edwards, and the Trepassy, 14 
guns and 80 men, Captain Smith. They attacked the 
Alliance on her quarter where she could bring but 
few of her guns to bear. The sea was a dead calm 
and it was impossible to wear the Alliance. After an 
hour's conflict in this unfavorable position Captain 
Barry received a grape shot in his shoulder and was 
carried below. At the same time the ensign of the 



yohi Barry. 123 

Alliance was shot away. With this the British crew 
left their guns and joined in shouts of victory. 

Just then a breeze filled the sails of the Alliance 
and the pilot lay her broadside to the two contestants. 
One volley from the guns of the Alliance, now first 
brought into play, sent the enemy to their guns, and 
after a short engagement the two ships struck their 
colors to the Alliance, and Captain Barry sent officers 
on board to command the prizes. 

The cost to the Alliance was eleven men killed and 
twenty-one wounded. The Trepassy was sent into an 
English port with all the prisoners under a cartel, and 
the Atalanta was re-captured by the British squadron 
cruising off Boston. 

In the fall of 1781 orders were received from Con- 
gress to fit out the Alliance for the purpose of carry- 
ing the Marquis de la Fayette and the Count de 
Noalles to France on public business. 

Captain Barry sailed to Boston, where in Decem- 
ber 25, 1 78 1, he took his distinguished guests on 
board and carried them safely to L'Orient, and 
remained in France the guest of the American com- 
missioners for several weeks. He left France in Feb- 
ruary, 1782, and cruised with marked success for about 
a year capturing many valuable prizes. He was 
ordered to Havana to take on board a quantity of 
specie needed for the use of the Bank of North 
America and indirectly for the United States govern- 
ment through Robert Morris, Minister of Finance. 



1 24 American Naval Heroes. 

The selection of Captain Barry for this service 
came through his early connection as a young- man 
with Mr. Willing and Mr. Nixon, both officially con- 
nected with the Bank of North America, and with Mr. 
Morris also a director of the bank. During his 
employment by these gentlemen he had won their 
unreserved confidence and their friendship was sincere 
and lasting. 

Captain Barry had in company as an extra precau- 
tion for safety the continental ship Luzerne, 20 guns, 
Captain Green. They left Havana in March, 1783, 
and soon after discovered three frigates two leagues 
distant directly ahead and in their course. The 
American ships hove about and the enemy gave chase. 
The Luzerne not sailing as fast as the Alliance, Com- 
modore Barry ordered her guns to be thrown over- 
board. A sail was then seen on her weather-bow 
bearing clown on them and the Alliance made a signal 
which was answered ; the vessel proving to be a 
French ship of 50 guns. Relying upon her assistance 
the commodore determined to bring the headmost 
of the enemy's ships to action. He gave directions to 
his gunners against haste in firing before word was 
given, and encouraged his crew to strictly obey orders. 
Being thus prepared for action he came up to the 
enemy's ship, which proved to be the sloop-of-war 
Sybil, 30 guns, about the size and metal of the 
Alliance. A severe engagement followed, and it 
was quite apparent that the Alliance was gaining the 



yohn Barry. 125 

advantage as the Sybir s guns were fired infrequentl}', 
and after an action of fifty minutes a signal of distress 
was hoisted, when her consorts came to her rescue, 
and the Alliance being unsupported by the French 
frio-ate, drew off with a loss of three killed and eleven 
wounded. The loss of the Sybil, whose commander 
was Captain James Vashan, w^as afterwards ascertained 
to have been thirty-seven killed and fifty wounded. 
The other English frigates were watching the move- 
ments of the French frigate, the captain of which upon 
coming up with the Alliance, assigned as a reason for 
keeping aloof from the action, that he was apprehen- 
sive that the Alliance had been taken, and that the 
engagement was only a decoy on the part of the Eng- 
lish captain. Chase was made but the French ship 
being a slow sailer it was abandoned. Captain Vashan 
confessed that he had never seen a ship so ably fought 
as the Alliance ; that he had never before, to use his 
own words, " received such a drubbing, and that he 
was indebted to the assistance of his consorts for his 
escape." 

In 1794 Barry was named as senior officer of the 
United States Navy, and he assumed command of the 
United States, 44 guns, of which he had superintended 
the building. 

The following incident of the high degree of honor 
and patriotism of John Barry and the estimate in which 
his services were regarded by the enemy is recorded : 
" General Howe appreciating the Commodore's char- 



126 American Naval Heroes. 

acter and thinking him important to the successful 
progress and issue of the contest made an attempt to 
detach him from his country. For this purpose he 
authorized an offer to the Commodore of fifteen or 
twenty thousand guineas and the command of the best 
frigate in the EngHsh Navy. The general availed him- 
self of a period that seemed to him the most auspicious 
to the accomplishment of his object ; it was when the 
metropolis was in the possession of the British, when 
the enemy triumphed, and even the best friends of 
America began to dispair." 

"The offer was rejected with the indignation of 
insulted patriotism." 

"The answer he returned to the general was that 
' he had devoted himself to the cause of his country 
and that not the value or command of the whole 
British fleet could seduce him from it.' " Commodore 
John Barry died in Philadelphia, Pa., September 13, 
1803. 



IX. 



NICHOLAS BIDDLE. 

" Ardent, ambitious, fearless, intelligent, and persevering, he had all the 
qualities of a great naval captain. * * * For so short a career, scarcely any 
other has been so brilliant." — J. Fenimore Cooper in '■'■History of the Navy.'" 

The first of the early American Naval Heroes to de- 
vote his life to the cause of colonial independence and 
the first to give it up, in freedom's behalf, was Nicho- 
las Biddle, a commodore in the United States Navy. 

He was born in Philadelphia, Pa., September lo, 
1750, and was the sixth son of William Biddle, a citizen 
of the colony of West Jersey, who removed to Phil- 
adelphia early in 1750. His mother was a daughter 
of Nicholas Scull, who for many years was surveyor 
general of Pennsylvania, and from his grandfather 
William Biddle, one of the first settlers and proprie- 
tors of the colony, his father inherited a large fortune 
which he lost in trade and in endorsing for a friend. 

Nicholas went to sea when thirteen years old and 
was shipwrecked, thus gaining experience and renown 
as a skillful sailor. His vessel left the Bay of Hon- 
duras in December, 1765, bound for Antigua, and on 
January 2, 1766, was cast upon a shoal known as the 
Northern Triangles. The crew were on the wreck in 
a heavy gale for two nights, when the ship breaking 



128 



American Naval Heroes. 



up they took to their yawl, the long boat having been 
lost. It was with great difficulty and hazard that they 
reached what proved to be an uninhabited island some 
leao-ues from the reef on which the ship had been 
wrecked. They managed to secure some provisions 
from the wreck and to refit the yawl for a longer 
voyage in search of help. As the yawl was too small 




Captain Nicholas Biddle. 



to carry all the crew, they drew lots to determine who 
should remain on the island and young Biddle was 
among the number left behind. Thus he and three 
companions were alone on the island. Their provi- 
sions were soon exhausted and the water was found 
to be unfit for drinking. They were in a desperate 
condition and two months passed before they were 
rescued. 



^M 



Nicholas Biddle. 129 

This experience had in no wise discouraged the 
young sailor, and the coolness and decision with which 
he acted in the midst of the perils, had encouraged his 
companions who were much older and more experi- 
enced seamen. They readily submitted to his dicta- 
tion and credited him with saving their lives. After 
reaching home he remained but a short time, soon 
taking berth on a vessel trading with England 
and afterward making several European voyages, in 
which he acquired a thorough knowledge of seaman- 
ship. 

A dispute in relation to the ownership of Falkland's 
Island in 1770 threatened a war between Great Brit- 
ain and Spain, and England was likely to require ad- 
ditional men to man her warships. Young Biddle 
at once decided to offer his services to the British 
admiralty, and he went to London with letters of rec- 
ommendation from Thomas Willing, president of the 
Bank of North America to his brother-in-law, Cap- 
tain, afterward Admiral Sterling, on whose ship young 
Biddle served for some time as midshipman. 

When the danger of a war with Spain was over, 
the American midshipman wished to return home, but 
Captain Sterling persuaded him to remain in the ser- 
vice, with assurances that he would use his influence to 
secure promotion. Biddle's disposition, however, could 
not contemplate an inactive life on a British man-of- 
war in time of peace and he was impatient to change 
to more stirrino" scenes. 



130 American N^aval Heroes. 

An opportunity was presented in 1773 when a voy- 
age of discovery was undertaken, at the request of the 
Royal Geographical society, in order to ascertain how 
far navigation was practicable in the direction of the 
North Pole, as the ambition of the merchants of Lon- 
don was to discover a north-west passage to shorten 
the voyage to China and India. The expedition was 
also charged with making such astronomical observa- 
tions as might prove serviceable to navigation. The 
British admiralty had fitted out two vessels, the Race 
Horse and the Carcase, and the command was given to 
the Honorable Captain Phipps afterward Lord Mul- 
grave. The ships were fitted out with extraordinary 
precaution and the crews selected were picked men, a 
positive order having been issued that no boys should 
be received on board. 

The bold and enterprising midshipman saw in this 
expedition great attraction, and he went to Captain 
Sterling and asked to be transferred to the Race 
Horse or the Carcase. Captain Sterling was unwil- 
ling to lose so useful an officer and would not consent 
to the transfer. The temptation was irrisistable, how- 
ever, and young Biddle took off his uniform, dressed 
in civilian clothes, and entered before the mast on 
board the Carcase. Here he met an old seaman who 
had formerly served under him and who was deeply 
pained to see his young friend before the mast, sup- 
posing he must have been placed there in disgrace. 
When he learned the true cause of the young officer's 



Nicholas Biddle. 1 3 i 

disguise he kept his secret. Tlie same spirit that 
impelled Biddle to make a sacrifice to carry out his 
ambition to see and take part in stirring scenes, pos- 
sessed the breast of young Horatio, afterward Lord 
Nelson, who was subsequently to lead the English 
Navy to victory in the battles of the Nile and at Tra- 
falgar. He too had applied to be transferred to the 
expedition and had taken his place before the mast in 
order to gain his desire. Both young adventurers were 
appointed cockswains, a station given only to the most 
active and trusty seamen. 

The ships penetrated the icy waters of the Arctic 
sea as far north as latitude 81 degrees and 39 minutes, 
and were enclosed with mountains of ice. For days 
the ships were immovable and at the hazard of instant 
destruction. Cockswain Biddle kept a diary of the 
voyage which was lost when his own life was destroyed 
with the unfortunate Randolph. The expedition 
returned to England in 1774. 

Upon the outbreak of hostilities with the colonies 
in America, young Biddle resigned his commission, 
returned to Philadelphia, and offered his services to 
the Continental Congress. His first position was in 
the employ of the State of Pennsylvania as com- 
mander of the Camden, a galley fitted out for the de- 
fence of the Delaware river. He was then given a 
commission as captain in the regular naval service 
as it existed at that time, and was placed in command 
of the Andrea Doria, 14 guns and 130 men, which 



132 American Naval Heroes. 

vessel had been purchased by the Marine Committee 
and fitted out as a cruiser. 

John Paul Jones was the ranking lieutenant in the 
newly organized naval force and Captain Biddle who 
had learned to esteem him, introduced the future hero 
to all his friends as an ofihcer of merit. 

Before sailing with Commodore Hopkins' fleet 
from the capes of Delaware where they were delayed 
by the ice, an incident occurred which marked the per- 
sonal intrepidity of Captain Biddle. Hearing that two 
deserters from the Andrea Doria were at Lewiston in 
prison, he sent an officer on shore to bring them back 
to the ship. The officer returned without his men, 
reporting that they, with other prisoners, had armed 
themselves and barricaded the door of their prison, 
swearing they would not be taken alive. The militia 
of the town had been called out, but were afraid to 
open the door, the prisoners threatening to shoot the 
first man who entered. 

Taking a midshipman with him, Captain Biddle 
went directly to the prison and ordered one of the 
deserters named Green, a stout, resolute fellow with 
whom he had come in contact before in the way of 
enforcing discipline, to open the door. His demand 
was met with a surly threat that if the captain 
attempted to enter he would shoot him. Captain Bid- 
dle ordered the door to be forced, and with a pistol in 
each hand, he stepped inside, and looking steadily at 
Green who stood prepared to fire, he said : 



NicJiolas Biddlc. 133 

" Now, Green, if you do not take good aim )oii are 
a dead man !" 

Captain Biddle's look and manner completely awed 
the ringleader into submission, and the other prison- 
ers allowed the militia, now recovered from their fright, 
to secure them. 

At this time he wTote to his brother. Judge Biddle, 
just before leaving the Capes: 

" I know not what may be our fate; be it, however, 
what it may, you may rest assured it will never cause a 
blush in the cheeks of my friends or countrymen." 

Soon after sailing, the small pox broke out and 
raged with great violence in the fleet which was 
manned chiefly by New England seamen who were 
easy victims to the scourge. The crew of the Doria 
having been shipped from Philadelphia, where the 
treatment of the disease had secured them immunity 
by a process of natural innoculation practised there, 
were appointed nurses, and Captain Biddle made his 
ship the hospital for the afflicted from the others. As 
every part of his vessel was crowded, the long boat 
was fitted for their accommodation, and he gave up 
his own cot to a young midshipman who was dying, 
and upon whom he bestowed his personal attention. 
Meanwhile the captain slept upon the lockers refusing 
to take the berth of any of his officers although freely 
and repeatedly urged to do so. 

After the surrender of New Providence the crew 
of the Ajidrca Doria became sick from this over- 



134 American N^aval Heroes. 

crowding, and before they left the port Captain 
Biddle had not well men enough to man the boats. 
He gave to the sufferers his constant personal atten- 
tion and used all precautions, taking on board at New 
Providence such delicacies as might be procured to 
serve as refreshment on the voyage home, but in spite 
of all his precautions the sickness did not decrease. 
His men were in this condition at the time of the 
unsuccessful encounter with the Glasgow, 20 guns, 
Captain Tyringham Howe, April 6, 1776, in which 
exploit the Andrea Doria gave some assistance, but 
was, with the others of Admiral Hopkins' fleet, out- 
manoeuvered by the British commander. Captain 
Biddle left the fleet and with the Doria cruised off the 
coast of Newfoundland. He captured valuable prizes 
laden with arms and ammunition, which he carried 
into port and thus greatly strengthened Washington's 
army at Cambridge. He also captured two full-armed 
transports from Scotland with 400 Highland soldiers, 
destined for Boston, and made prizes of so many mer- 
chantmen that when the Doria reached Philadelphia 
but five of her original crew manned her, the others 
being in charge of prizes, and their places were sup- 
plied from among the prisoners. 

One of the transports was put in charge of Lieu- 
tenant James Josiah, a brave and excellent officer, and 
all the Highland officers were transferred to the ship, 
the lieutenant being ordered to make the first port. 
In about ten days he was captured by the British 



AHcholas Biddk. 135 

frigate Cerberus, and the captain of the frigate, under 
pretense that Lieutenant Josiah was an Englishman, 
ordered him to duty and disgraced him as a deserter. 
When Captain Biddle heard of this he wrote to the 
British admiral at New York that however disagreeable 
it was to him, he would treat a young man of family 
who was then his prisoner and believed to be a son 
of Lord Cranston, in the same manner the Captain of 
the Cerbcrtcs treated Lieutenant Josiah. He also 
applied to Congress in behalf of the injured officer, 
which body on August 7, 1776, resolved: "Whereas, 
a letter from Captain Nicholas Biddle to the Marine 
Committee, etc., etc., was laid before Congress and read : 
Whereupon Resolved, That General Washington be 
directed to propose an exchange of Lieutenant Josiah 
for a lieutenant of the Navy of Great Britain ; That 
the General remonstrate to Lord Howe on the cruel 
treatment Lieutenant Josiah has met with, of which 
the Congress has received undoubted information," 

After suffering an imprisonment of ten months 
Lieutenant Josiah was exchanged, and he was subse- 
quently advanced to the rank of Captain. 

Captain Biddle was made commander of the new 
frigate Randolph, 32 guns, upon her completion in 
November, 1776, and in fitting her out for sea, he 
found much difficulty in procuring a suitable crew, as 
privateering with small vessels was more attractive and 
profitable to capable seamen, and many had joined the 
army where they found the labor much less oppressive. 



1^6 American Naval Heroes. 



■J 



He accepted a number of volunteers from the pris- 
oners taken with his prizes, but these men gave him 
much trouble. In addition, Congress drafted a par- 
tial crew from the army. The large magazine of the 
frigate, after much delay, was provided with a sup- 
ply of ammunition. These drawbacks delayed the 
departure of the Randolph until February, 1777. 

When a few days out the ship, which had been 
badly constructed, through haste on the part of Con- 
gress, lost her masts in a gale, and at the same time 
her crew mutined. Captain Biddle quelled the insub- 
ordination of the crew, rigged jury-masts and carried 
his ship into Charleston harbor for repairs. 

When refitted he sailed for the West Indies, and 
soon afterward captured the English ship True Brito7i, 
20 guns, having under convoy three merchantmen, 
and carried the four prizes into Charleston harbor. 
This exploit was highly praised by the Southern dele- 
gates in Congress, producing the first fruits of the new 
navy, that had been left in a Southern port. The 
vessels were well laden with arms and ammunition at 
that time greatly needed in the South. Congress 
voted an appropriate medal to be struck, and the 
thanks of the body to the brave captain. The Ran- 
dolph was blockaded in Charleston harbor for some 
months, during which time the state of South Carolina 
fitted out a fleet of small vessels, hoping to raise the 
blockade and then to cruise with the Randolph. 
Before this fleet was ready the enemy had disappeared. 



Nicholas Biddle. 137 

In February, 1778, the Randolph set sail on 
another expedition having been furnished by the state 
of South CaroHna with 50 men from the first regiment 
or Continental infantry to act as marines. The regi- 
ment at the time was commanded by Colonel Charles 
Colesworth Pinckney. The Randolph was accom- 
panied by the General Moultrie, 18 guns, the Polly, 
16 guns, the A^otre Dame, 16 guns, and the Fair 
American, 14 guns, making up a considerable fieet. 
They were in quest of the British ships Carrysfort, 32 
guns, the Perseus, 24 guns, the Hinchinbrook, 16 
guns, and a privateer, which vessels for some time had 
annoyed American shipping. 

They were delayed by contrary winds and the low 
water on the bar, the Randolph being a ship of unusual 
draught. Thus they lost sight of the British cruisers, 
and had to put to the eastward hoping soon to fall in 
with them. The next day they retook a captured 
ship from New England which they found dismasted 
and with no cargo. Captain Biddle took from her the 
crew, six light guns and some stores, and not being 
on a return voyage he ordered her to be burned. 
They boarded a number of French and Dutch ships 
and finally fell in with a British schooner from New 
York bound to Grenada, and took possession of her 
before she found out that the Randolph was an enemy. 
Captain Blake who commanded a detachment of the 
Second South Carolina Regiment which was serving 
as marines on board the General Moultrie, and who 



138 American Naval Heroes. 

dined on board the Randolph two days before the 
engagement, reported that at dinner Captain Biddle 
had said, " We have been cruising here for some time, 
and have spoken a number of vessels who will no 
doubt eive information of us, but I should not be sur- 
prised if my old ship should be out after us. As to 
anything that carries her guns upon one deck I think 
myself a match for her." About 3.00 p. m., on the 
7th of March, a signal was made from the Randolph 
for a sail to the windward, in consequence of which the 
squadron hauled upon the wind in order to speak her. 
It was four o'clock before she could be distinctly seen, 
when she was discovered to be a ship, though as she 
neared and came before the wind, she had the appear- 
ance of a large sloop with only a square sail set. 
About seven o'clock the Randolph, being to the wind- 
ward, hove to, as did also the Moultrie, she being 
about one hundred and fifty yards astern. About eight 
o'clock the British ship fired a shot across the bow 
of the Moultiae and hailed her. The answer was " The 
Polly of New York," upon which she immediately 
hauled her wind and hailed the Randolph. She was 
then seen to be a two-decker. After an exchange 
of questions and answers as she was ranging up 
alongside the Randolph, and as she gained her 
weather quarter. Lieutenant Barnes of that ship 
called out " This is the Randolph',' and she immedi- 
ately hoisted her colors and gave the enemy a brod- 
side. This was all the information the commander of 



Nicholas Biddle. 139 

the Moultrie could give in detail of the engagement. 

The further history of the exploit of the Randolph 
was obtained from Captain Vincent of his Britannic 
Majesty's ship Yarmouth, 64 guns. His report dated 
March 17, 1778, states that on the 7th of March he 
fell in with six sail eastward of the Barbadoes, stand- 
ing on the wind. The ' Yarmotith gave chase and the 
sail proved to be two ships, three brigs, and a schooner. 
About nine o'clock in the evening he succeded in 
ranging up on the weather quarter of the largest and 
leading vessel of the strangers ; the ship next in size 
being a little astern and to leeward. Hoisting her 
own colors the Yarmouth ordered the ship near to her 
to show her ensign, when the American flag was run 
up and the enemy poured in a broadside. 

A smart action now commenced and was maintained 
with vigor for 20 minutes when the stranger blew up. 
The two ships were so near each other at the time that 
many fragments of the wreck struck the Yarmouth, 
and among other things an American ensign rolled up 
was blown in upon her forecastle. This flag was not 
even singed. The vessels in company sailed in differ- 
ent ways and the Yarmouth gave chase to two but her 
sails had so suffered in the engagement that the 
chased vessels were soon out of sight. The Yarmouth 
had lost five men killed and twelve wounded. On the 
1 2th, while cruising near the same place a piece of 
wreck was discovered on which were four men making 
signals for relief. When these were taken on board the 



140 American Naval Heroes. 

Yarmouth they reported themselves as having belonged 
to the United States ship Randolph, 32 guns, Captain 
Biddle, the vessel that had blown up on the night of 
the 7th in action with the English ship. They had 
floated on the raft five days without sustenance save a 
little rain water. They stated that early in the engage- 
ment Commodore Biddle was wounded, but ordering a 
chair, was placed in it on the quarter deck, and con- 
tinued to direct the battle and encourage the crew. 
His fire was constant and well directed, and for the 
time seemed to promise victory. Just then, while a 
surgeon was examining his wound, the Randolph was 
blown up and the commander, with three hundred and 
ten of her three hundred and fifteen of^cers and 
men perished. 

So closely were the two ships engaged that Captain 
Morgan of the Fair American reported that he with 
all his crew supposed it was the British ship that had 
blown up, and he stood for the Yarmouth and with 
trumpet in hand was about to hail and inquire how 
Captain Biddle was, when he discovered his mistake. 
The cause of the explosion was never ascertained, but 
it is remarkable that just before he sailed, and after 
the clerk had copied the signals and orders for the 
armed vessels that accompanied him, he wrote at the 
foot, " in case of coming to action in the night be very 
careful of your magazines." 

Commodore Biddle's untimely death, March 7, 
1778, when only in his 28th year, was a great blow to 
the colonists. 



X. 



JOSHUA BARNEY. 

" More than twenty broadsides were fired in twenty-six minutes and scarcely 
a shot missed its effect; entering in at the starboard bow and making their way 
out through the port quarter. In less than half an hour from the firing of the 
first broadside the British flag waved its proud folds no longer to the breeze." 
— Biographical Memoirs by Mary Barney. 

Of all the officers of the first Continental navy, 
Joshua Barney gave to the colonies and to the United 
States the longest term of service, extending from his 
commission as lieutenant in 1776 to 1815, when he 
was retired, after efficient service throughout the war 
of 1812. 

He was born in Baltimore, Md., July 6, 1759, and 
was said to have been a practical sailor before he was 
fourteen years old. As he was the son of a farmer 
of limited means his book-learning was meagre, and at 
the age of ten he left school and went to sea on a 
brig. For three years he served as a seaman's appren- 
tice during which time he made several voyages to the 
Mediterranean. At the age of fourteen he was second 
mate of a brig, and at eighteen master of a fine ship. 
On a voyage home he first learned of the revolt of the 
colonists and hastened to join the revolutionary forces. 
He first served as a volunteer in the sloop Hornet 
where he was master's mate. The sloop was joined 




}6^4t^cJn> 




yosJiua Barney. 143 

to the squadron of Commodore Hopkins in his expe- 
dition against New Providence in 1775, but with the 
Fly parted company with the fleet. He saw active 
service, however, and the Hornet brought valuable 
prizes into Philadelphia where he was transferred to 
the JVasp, Captain Alexander. It was on this vessel 
that he saw his first sea-fight, which was with the 
tender of a British brig where his gallantry was 
awarded by promotion to lieutenant. The sloop 
Sachem, of which he was second officer, captured a 
British privateer and he was made prize-master. He 
was soon afterward captured with his prize and made 
a prisoner. He was released in 1777 and was assigned 
to the Andrea Doria, 14 guns. Captain Robinson, on a 
cruise to the West Indies. He was at this time only 
seventeen years old. 

In 1778, after various services to the new gov- 
ernment on the Doria, he was made first officer of 
the frigate Virginia, 28 guns. Captain James Nichol- 
son, which vessel was captured while grounded in 
attempting to pass the mouth of the Chesapeake, and 
Captain Nicholson escaped with the ship's papers. 
Lieutenant Barney, after five month's imprisonment 
on the prison ship Jersey, was exchanged, and in 
October, 1780, was made second officer of the sloop- 
of-war Saratoga, 16 guns. Captain James Young. 
They fell in with and captured a ship and two brigs all 
well armed. The ship proved to be the Charming 
Molly, and Lieutenant Barney with a boarding party 



144 American Naval Hei'oes. 

of fifty men led to the deck of the enemy, and after a 
fierce but short struggle with a crew double his party, 
received the surrender of the ship and her crew of 
which he was made prize-master. On his way to Phil- 
adelphia he was captured and carried into New York, 
and subsequently, in the hold of the YarmoutJi to Mill 
prison, England, whence he escaped, wandered through 
the kingdom and on the continent. He had a price 
set on his head, and finally shipped as a sailor and 
reached Philadelphia in 1782. 

He was then given command of the Hyder Ali, 
16 guns, a cruiser hastily fitted out by the State of 
Pennsylvania for the defence of coast, and the pro- 
tection of the vessels navigating the river and bay. 

With this small ship, when off Cape May, New 
Jersey, he offered battle to the British privateer, Fair 
American, which was declined, and instead of giving 
chase he waited for and engaged the British sloop-of- 
war General Monk, 18 guns, Captain Rodgers, for- 
merly the American cruiser General Washington, 
fitted out in 1775, at Plymouth, Mass., by Captain 
Martingale as a privateer, and captured while under 
his command. The engagement with the General 
Monk lasted about twenty-six minutes. During the 
time the enemy purposely ran foul the Ali, the 
jib-boom of the English ship piercing the fore-rig- 
ging of the American and the fight became a hand- 
to-hand conflict, the two ships being within pistol-shot 
range. The General Monk was of greatly superior 



yoshua Barney. 145 

armament and a heavier ship, but was finally obliged 
to strike her colors. Cooper, in his naval history, says : 
"This action has been justly deemed one of the most 
brilliant that ever occurred under the American flag. 
It was fought in the presence of a vastly superior 
force that was not engaged, and the ship taken was, 
in every essential respect, superior to her conqueror." 

The victor and vanquished were towed from the 
scene of conflict, off Cape May, N. J., into port at 
Philadelphia a few hours after the conflict, each bear- 
ing their respective dead. The loss on the Hydei'- AH 
was four killed and eleven wounded, while the Monk 
had twenty killed and thirty-six wounded. The old 
name General Washington was restored to the prize, 
and Lieutenant Barney made a cruise in her to the 
West Indies in 1782, in the service of the State of 
Pennsylvania, whose government had placed the ship 
at the disposal of Robert Morris, Minister of Finance, 
to transport specie from Havana to Philadelphia for 
the use of the treasury. His rank of captain was 
one accorded by the State of Pennsylvania, Barney's 
rank in the United States Navy being still that of 
lieutenant, notwithstanding his gallant exploit in cap- 
turing the General Alonk. The General W^asJiington 
then passed to the control of the United States Navy 
and Lieutenant Barney was retained as her com- 
mander. 

Congress in recognition of his valued services 
caused a medal to be struck in his honor, and the 



146 



American Naval Heroes. 



State of Pennsylvania presented him with a handsome 
gold-hilted sword. He continued an active and ex- 
tremely successful officer during the war, and was the 
first to bring to America the news of the conclusion 
of peace as secured by our indefatigable ministers, and 
with it a large sum of money loaned to the United 
States by France. He accompanied Secretary Monroe 




'7?:^'^ 



Hyder AM and Gen. Monk. 



to France and bore the American flag to the National 
Convention of 1794. He declined a commission as 
Captain in the new establishment as his name had been 
placed in the list below that of Captain Talbot, and in 
1 797 he entered the French navy as commander of two 
large frigates, serving in the West Indies in the pro- 
tection of her commerce from the depredations of Brit- 
ish privateers till 1800, when he returned to America. 



Joshua Barney. 147 

When the war of 1 8 1 2 broke out he commanded the 
privateer Rossie, and in 18 13 again entered the United 
States Navy as commander of a fleet of gun-boats built 
for the defence of the Chesapeake Bay. He distin- 
guished himself in the battle of Bladenburg, where 
he was severely wounded and taken prisoner. After 
six week's imprisonment he was exchanged when he 
returned to the command of the gun-boats. He was 
presented with a sword by the government of the city 
of Washington for his defence of that city, and was 
the next year sent to England on a mission but was 
obliged by the condition of his health to return. He 
was made naval officer of the port of Baltimore in 
181 7 by President Monroe, and lived upon his farm at 
Elkridge, Md. After nearly forty-two years of naval 
service he started for the West to take possession of a 
large tract of land which he had purchased in Ken- 
tucky, and on his journey thither died at Pittsburgh, 
Pa., December i, 1818. 



/ 



XI. 



JAMES NICHOLSON. 

" When the captain of the IVa/^ was asked who commanded the Trtwtbull, 
he replied, ' It must have been either Paul Jones or the Devil — for never was 
a ship fought before with such frantic desperation. ' " — Sketch of Alexander 
Murray. 

Captain Nicholson, successor to Esek Hopkins as 
commander-in-chief of the Continental Navy, was born 
in Chestertown, Md., in 1737, the son of a Scotchman 
who came from Berwick-on-Tweed and settled on a 
large grant of land near the passage of the Blue Ridge 
mountains, Virginia. This tract became known as 
Nicholson's manor and the passage as Nicholson's gap. 

James was an ambitious boy and shipped as a 
sailor when quite young. He was rapidly promoted 
and was an officer in the fleet that captured Havana in 
1762. He lived in New York 1763-71, and in 1775 
joined the Maryland Navy on board the Defiance, a 
vessel fitted out by the colony. The vessel was 
successful in re-capturing a number of the American 
trading crafts taken by the British, and in June, 1776, 
Captain Nicholson was appointed commander of the 
United States sloop-of-war Virginia, of 28 guns. 

When Commodore Esek Hopkins was dismissed 
from the navy Captain Nicholson succeeded him, his 



James Nicholson. 



149 



rank being that of senior captain, and he held the 
position as ranking officer in the Continental navy 
till its dissolution. 

The Virginia, 28 guns, had been built at Balti- 
more, and the strict blockade maintained by the British 
prevented her escape to sea. While the ship was thus 
imprisoned Captain Nicholson with the crew of the 




Virginia joined Washington's army at Trenton, and 
took part in the battle at that place. He returned 
to his ship, and in an attempt to run the blockade 
she was grounded on a bar and captured by the block- 
ading force. Captain Nicholson and most of his crew 
escaped to the land. ' 

A court of inquiry instituted by Congress acquitted 
Captain Nicholson of all blame, and he was made com- 



150 Americajt Naval Heroes. 

mander of the frigate Trumbull, 38 guns. With her 
he fell in with the British frigate Watt, June 2, 1780, 
and an engagement of two hours' duration resulted in 
a loss to the Watt of thirty men killed and wounded. 

In August, 1 78 1, while off the capes of Delaware, 
the Trtimbull in a gale lost her fore topmast and 
main topgallantmast. She had a crew short 200 men, 
while of the 120 men she did carry many were lands- 
men. Of the trained sailors on board there were many 
Englishmen who shipped at the last moment with the 
hope of an opportunity to capture the ship, knowing 
her to be short handed. This was in accordance with 
a direction given by the British parliament which had 
passed an act offering large bounty to her " loyal 
subjects " who would take the oath prescribed to 
seamen shipping on American men-of-war, and 
when opportunity offered either by mutiny or by 
taking advantage of an evenly balanced fight, turn 
to the support of the British government and bring 
the American vessel to a British port. This was the 
condition that existed on board the Trumbull when 
the British frigate Iris, 32 guns, and another British 
ship, name unknown, ranged up on either side and 
each discharged a broadside into the Trumbzill. It 
was a condition that would have fully justified a sur- 
render without resistance, even had the Trumbull 
her full complement of men, and they all loyal to the 
flag. The brave Captain Nicholson however cleared 
his ship for action and replied to the guns of the two 



y antes Nicholson. 151 

ships in gallant style. With the first discharge the 
English sailors on board the Trumbull fled to the hold, 
to a man, and this action frightened the landsmen and 
they followed. This left but fifty men to fight against 
two well manned ships, each of heavier metal and 
both with crews under strict discipline. But these 
men on board the Trumbull were heroes. Richard 
Dale, second in command, had been in the battle 
between the Bon Homme Richard and the Serapis, 
Alexander Murray had never run from the enemy, and 
the other brave officer was Christopher R. Perry. 

It was 28 guns manned by fifty men against 60 
guns on two ships with at least five hundred men 
obedient to the call of their commanders. These four 
gallant officers kept their men at the guns for fully an 
hour, at the end of which time eighteen had dropped 
at their post of duty, dead or desperately wounded. 
But the Stars and Stripes still waved, and while it does 
the American Naval hero never leaves his gun. There 
seemed to be no intention on the part of Captain 
Nicholson to give up the fight till the third British 
ship the General Monk came up and gained a posi- 
tion to rake the Trumbull at short range. It was 
then that the lives of thirty-two heroic survivors 
were at stake, and for their sakes Captain Nicholson 
struck his flag. 

Owing to his position as senior captain in the 
American Navy, Captain Nicholson was held a prisoner 
till near the close of the war. When he beecame free 



152 America7t Naval Heroes. 

he did not resume command of a ship. He made his 
home in New York city, and served as United States 
Commissioner of Loans, 1801-04. His daughter was 
married to Albert Gallatin the banker, secretary of 
the United States treasury, and his brothers Samuel 
and John were both officers in the Continental Navy. 
He died in New York city September 2, 1804. 



XII. 



JOHN MANLY. 

He began and ended the naval engagements in the war of the American 
Revolution. 

John Manly was born in Torquay, England, prob- 
ably in 1733. He became a sailor when a mere boy, 
and coming- to America settled at Marblehead in the 
Massachusetts colony. Here he became master of a 
merchant vessel, and when the war of the American 
Revolution broke out General Washington, in provid- 
ing a Provincial Navy to operate on the coast of New 
England and prevent depredations from British free 
hooters, and also to seize supplies on board British 
transports intended for the army of General Gage at 
Boston, selected him as a captain in the service 
October 24, 1775. 

His first cruise in this capacity was made in the 
schooner Lee, 8 guns, near the close of November, 
and before the other cruisers preparing for similar ser- 
vice at Marblehead were ready for sea. On November 
29, 1775, he fell in with and captured the British ordi- 
nance ship Nancy, having on board a large mortar, sev- 
eral fine brass cannon, 2,000 muskets, 8,000 fuses, 31 
tons of musket balls, 3,000 solid shot for 12 -pounders, 



154 America7i Naval Heroes. 

besides ammunition and various military supplies. 

The reception of this prize at Marblehead, the load- 
ing of the ordinance and military stores on wagons 
decked with flags, and transporting the needed stores 
to Cambridge where thev were received at " Washing- 
ton's Camp" just as a detachment of Connecticut troops 
had deserted — a movement feared to be the begin- 
ning of a general breaking up of the patriotic army, — 
and how " such universal joy ran through the whole 
camp as if each one grasped victory in his own hands," 
is a story familiar to all and yet one that can not be 
told too often, for it was an early instance, afterward 
often repeated, of the navy leading the army to victory. 

In December he captured three other transports and 
came into port in safety with all his prizes. The prop- 
erty captured was of great value to General Washing- 
ton in his seige operations against Boston. 

Captain Manly continued his privateering and 
greatly harrassed the British government. He was 
chased into Gloucester harbor by the British sloop-of- 
war Falcon which he severely punished when inside the 
cape. He was commissioned a captain in the Con- 
tinental Navy on its organization, April 17, 1776, and 
on August 24th he was assigned to the command of 
the frigate Hancock, 32 guns, building in Boston. 

When the first United States Navy was regularly 
organized, after the Declaration of Independence had 
been signed, he was placed second in the list of 
captains. He put to sea in the Hancock, and the 



John Manly. 155 

following day engaged, and after a severe battle, cap- 
tured the British sloop-of-war Fox, 28 guns. While 
convoying the prize into port she was cut out from him 
by the British frigate /v'^'r^?. On July 8, 1777, Captain 
Manly with the Hancock in company with Captain 
Hector McNiel, commanding the frigate Boston, 24 
guns, fell in with the British frigate Rainbow, 44 guns, 
and the British brig J'icfor, 20 guns. It was the inten- 
tion of Captain Manly as ranking captain to assist the 
Boston in capturing the two vessels, but while he was 
tacking the Hancock for position the Boston sailed 
away. Captain Manly then endeavored to escape but 
was overtaken, and he struck his flag to the RaiJibozv, 
Captain Sir George Collier. He was carried to Halifax 
and confined in Mill prison. His conduct in this affair 
was investigated by the naval committee of Congress 
and he was exonerated from all blame, but Captain 
McNeil was dismissed from the service for refusing to 
assist the Hancock. 

Captain Manly, when released, was made com- 
mander of the Roniona, and sailed to the south. He 
fell in with a British man-of-war, and not being able 
to escape he struck his flag and was carried into Bar- 
badoes where he was held as prisoner but managed 
to escape. 

On reaching home he found no vessel ready for 
him to command and was allowed to leave the navy. 
He was made captain of the privateer Jason, and while 
on a cruise he fell in with two British privateers in 



156 American Naval Heroes. 

July, 1779, who gave him battle. He managed to 
run between the two vessels, and ordering both broad- 
sides to be discharged he crippled the two ships so 
badly that they were obliged to strike their colors 
to the venturesome Yankee, and he brought them into 
port as prizes. In September, 1782, he was placed in 
command of the frigate Hague, also known as the 
Deane, and sailed for the West Indies. At Martinique 
he made port, and on leaving he was discovered by a 
British man-of-war, 74 guns, which gave chase. To 
avoid capture he ran his ship on a safe sand bar 
at low tide, and when he floated off soon" after, he 
fired thirteen guns as a signal of defiance, and out- 
sailing his antagonist, escaped. This incident took 
place after the preliminaries for peace with Great 
Britain had been arranged, and he thus had the 
honor of beginning and ending the naval engagements 
in the war of the American Revolution. 

On his return to Boston he was received by the 
citizens with ereat honors and when the action of his 
subordinate officers caused him to answer to a court 
of investigation for his conduct while in command of 
the Hague, he was justified in his course and was 
retained in the naval establishment after the declara- 
tion of peace. He died in Boston, Mass., February 
12, 1793. 



XIII. 



ALEXANDER MURRAY. 

" He was in thirteen battles in the army and navy, was frequently wounded 
and often taken prisoner, which was the only thing which ever withdrew him a 
moment from active and honorable engagement in the service," — Portfolio, 

Alexander Murray was the son of a respectable 
farmer who lived near Chestertown, Md. He was 
born July 12, 1755. As a boy he was ambitious to 
be a sailor and left home at an early age as cabin boy 
on a coasting vessel. He was rapidly promoted and 
when eighteen years old commanded a good sized 
vessel in the European trade. When the Revolution 
called all patriotic sailors home, he forsook the mer- 
chant service and received a commission in the Mary- 
land Navy as lieutenant. 

As there was no ship for him to command he 
accepted the appointment as lieutenant in the First 
Maryland Regiment, Colonel Smallwood. He was 
with Washington's army and participated in the battles 
of Flatbush, White Plains and the other engagements 
followed by the retreat of the patriot army across 
the Hudson to New Jersey. While opposing the 
progress of the British fleet in its passage up the 
North river he was in command of the battery at the 
lower end of Manhattan Island, and the bursting of a 




Alexander Murray. 



Alexander Mtcri'-ay. 159 

gun impaired his sense of hearing which he never fully 
recovered. He was promoted captain in his regiment 
which started from Annapolis nine hundred strong, 
but which was left after the disaster of the New York 
campaign with less than two hundred effective men. 

Captain Murray was afflicted with a chronic com- 
plaint contracted in the camp that rendered further 
service impossible for the time and he was retired. 
When his health had become re-established he 
resumed his rank in the navy, and as there were more 
officers than ships he was assigned to the command of 
different letters of marque. In his expeditions in 
search of plunder from incoming British vessels mak- 
ing for the port of New York, then held by the enemy, 
he had various engagements and secured some valu- 
able prizes. 

While flying his broad pennant on the letter-of- 
marque Revenge, 18 guns and fifty men, he sailed 
with his fleet of forty vessels from Baltimore for 
Holland. His rank in the Maryland navy gave him 
the chief command of all vessels engaged in priva- 
teering, under commission of the Marine Committee, 
sailing out of the port of Baltimore, and these vessels 
were generally well armed. On gaining the high sea 
he encountered a superior force of the enemy and was 
obliged to put back, seeking refuge in the Patuxent 
river. 

Increasing his force to fifty sail the commanders 
agreed that they would fight their way through the 



i6o America7i Naval Heroes. 

British squadron blockading the port. With this 
determination they put to sea, when a fleet of British 
privateers hove in sight. Commodore Murray sig- 
nalled for all the unarmed vessels of his fleet to 
return, and for the armed vessels to rally around 
the flag-ship. The enemy's fleet included a ship of 
1 8 guns, a brig of i6 guns, and three schooners. 
Commodore Murray's fleet captains did not respond 
to his signal, and with the exception of a brig and 
a schooner he was left alone. 

In manceuvering for position he found himself 
between the enemy's ship and the brig, and a severe 
engagement resulted in the two British vessels with- 
drawing from the contest after an hour's severe fight- 
ing. The American brig and the schooner also came 
off victors in the fight, and the three returned to port 
at Hampton Roads to refit. The injury to the vessels 
was mostly to sails and riggings. There were no lives 
lost, but Commodore Murray and a few of the men 
were slightly wounded. On refitting his vessel Cap- 
tain Murray sailed for the banks of Newfoundland 
where he was overtaken by a fleet of one hundred 
and fifty British vessels bound for New York, under 
escort of men-of-war. He was easily captured and 
carried into port. His acquaintance with the captain 
and lieutenant of the vessel capturing him obtained 
for him the best of treatment and a speedy exchange 
when he returned to Philadelphia. Here he found 
the frigate Trumbull, 32 guns, commanded by his 



Alexa?ider Murray. i6i 

friend and relative Captain James Nicholson, ready 
for service after her severe fight with the Watt. It 
was after this engagement that the British captain, 
after his disabled ship was towed into the port of New 
York, was asked the name of the TrmnbulVs, com- 
mander. His reply was, 

"It must have been either Paul Jones or the Devil 
— for never was a ship fought before with such frantic 
desperation." 

Captain Nicholson secured the services of Captain 
Murray as his lieutenant and he found on board 
another friend, Lieutenant Richard Dale. When well 
at sea and after losing her topmasts in a gale the 
Trumbtdl ^viQ.o\iVi\.^x^di the British frigate Iris, 32 guns, 
formerly the American frigate Hancock, and another 
ship of equal metal, name unknown. With fifty men 
commanded by Nicholson, Murray, Dale and Perry, 
all the rest of the crew having fled to the hold through 
the instigation of traitorous British sailors, who had 
shipped to mutiny, they kept up the unequal fight till 
the Gc7ieral Monk came up and prepared to deliver a 
broadside into the stern of the Trumbull v^\iQ.n Captain 
Nicholson struck the flag. Lieutenant Murray was 
severely wounded, one-third of the fifty men who 
fought the ship were either killed or wounded, the 
Trtinibull had but one mast standing, and the gun- 
ports on one side beaten into one long opening. 

Upon recovering from his wounds Lieutenant 
Murray was exchanged and Congress furnished him 



1 62 American Naval Hei^oes. 

with a fine brig fitted up as a letter of marque. The dif- 
ficulty in obtaining a trustworthy crew being so great 
he enp-aeed as a merchantman and took on board a 
cargo of tobacco intending to carry it to St. Croix. 

He sailed from Hampton Roads with a crew of 
twenty-five men, and his vessel was armed with only 
five 6-pounders. When well under way a British 
privateer of 14 guns and one hundred men came 
alongside by superior sailing and laid by his quarter. 
Captain Murray brought his five guns to bear upon 
the enemy and she drew off, but having determined 
the weakness of the American she returned and re- 
newed the attack. 

By shifting his five guns from side to side as 
occasion demanded Captain Murray was able to 
keep up a hot fire, and when the privateer attempted 
to board the American the boarding party was driven 
back and the privateer withdrew. 

Captain Murray had lost all his masts but the main- 
mast, and but a stump of the bowsprit remained. A 
third time the privateer came up and attempted to 
board the apparent wreck, but the party was repulsed 
with the loss of half the men engaged. The action 
had now continued for two hours and the privateer 
gave up the attempt and sailed off. Captain Murray 
after great hazard reached St. Thomas where he sold 
his cargo and refitted his ship. 

He then captured a British packet by stratagem 
without firing a gun, and carried her into Havana. 



Alexander Murray. i63 

Here he found the port under embargo in conse- 
quence of a fleet then fitting out for an expedition 
against the Bahama Islands, and several American 
vessels lying in port had attached to the fleet. 
Captain Murray also joined by invitation of the 
governor, and was given command. The Spanish 
contributed transports and five thousand men, and 
the large fleet sailed under the American flag. 

Captain Murray on arriving off New Providence 
in the midst of a gale had but two alternatives : to 
attack the fort which was well mounted with heavy 
ordnance, or to have the fleet stranded on the shore 
by the wind. He therefore led the fleet into the har- 
bor and summoned the fort to surrender. This was 
immediately done and the commander of the Spanish 
troops hoisted his flag on the fort. The governor 
and his aid who were both passengers on Captain 
Murray's ship then engaged in framing the terms of 
capitulation. Captain Murray urged an incidental 
surrender as they had virtual possession of the fort, 
but the governor's aid Miranda, then a captain of 
Spanish grenadiers, in order to dim the glory that 
would fall to the American Navy should the terms be 
accorded, made what Captain Murray considered dis- 
graceful terms with the British commander. Captain 
Murray thereupon challenged Miranda, but the crafty 
Spaniard refused to answer the call. 

Captain Murray then parted from the fleet, made a 
successful voyage and returned to Baltimore, where 



164 American Naval Heroes. 

he was ordered on board the frigate Alliance as first 
lieutenant to Captain Barry. 

After the ratification of peace Captain Murray was 
the last ofificer to hold a commission in the naval ser- 
vice. 

At the beginning of hostilities between the United 
States and France he was re-appointed by President 
Adams among the first list of captains and took 
command of the United States ship Monteziuna, 24 
guns. He was occupied in commanding merchant- 
men engaged in the West India trade to different ports 
in the United States, and did not lose a single vessel. 
On his return he received the public thanks of the 
President and was ordered to the command of the 
Insurgente. He had a crew of 320 men and was 
given a roving commission. He cruised in the West 
Indies for several weeks in search of the French 
frigate Amb?iscade, and then put into the port of 
Lisbon for provisions. He then proceeded in com- 
pany with the British frigate Phaeton, on board of 
which ship was Lord Elgin and suite, in quest of 
two French frigates reported off Cape St. Vincent. 
On arriving at the Straits of Gibraltar he blockaded 
two large French corvettes in the bay of Cadiz. He 
received testimonials of civility and kindness from 
Admiral Duckworth at Gibraltar, and cruised off 
Madeira and the Canary Islands. He followed what 
was reported to be the French frigate Volunteer, 44 
guns, cruising off Cayenne, to Guadaloupe, overtook 



AlexandeT" Murray. 165 

her at Point Petre and blockaded her till his pro- 
visions were exhausted, when he repaired to St. Chris- 
topher's to lay in a store. Returning to renew the 
blockade in January, 1800, he fell in with the frigate 
Constellation, Captain Truxton, and from him learned 
that the frigate he was blockading was the J^en- 
geance, with which he had so lately engaged in his 
memorable battle. The Constellation in her crip- 
pled state sailed in company with the Instcrgente to 
Jamaica for the purpose of refitting, and here the two 
American officers were entertained by Sir Hyde 
Parker who commanded the station. 

Captain Murray received orders from Havana to 
return to America and after much difficulty, owing to 
adverse winds, he gained the port of Baltimore, com- 
pleting a nine months' cruise in which he had never 
been in a port longer than a week. His ship was 
almost a wreck, having been started in bolts and nails 
on deck and sides in every gale. 

After a short visit to his family he was ordered to 
the command of the Constellatioji, Commodore Trux- 
ton having been transferred to the Presidefit. He 
cruised for the Leeward Islands where he relieved 
Captain Talbot of the Constitution, and commanded, 
off Cape Fran9ois, a fleet of several sloops-of-war and 
brigs with which he effectually protected American 
commerce against French cruisers. 

He was in turn relieved by the frigate Congress, 
Captain Sevier, and set out to return to the Delaware. 



1 66 American Naval Heroes. 

He encountered several gales and was once on the 
eve of cutting away his masts to relieve the ship when 
the gale abated. 

While proceeding towards Guadaloupe he fell in 
with the British frigate MagJtaninie, 44 guns. The 
night was dark and the British frigate without showing 
a signal fired a gun at the Coiistellatioji. Captain 
Murray's ward officers, indignant at the insult offered 
the American flag, anxiously asked if he did not 
intend to return the fire. Captain Murray sternly 
ordered the officers to their quarters without replying 
to their inquiry. Indignant and yet obedient they 
silently took their places and awaited the next order 
which rang out, 

"Return the salute with a full broadside." 

Another train of sensations occurred among the 
officers. Frowns of anger were exchanged for glances 
of admiration. The order was quickly executed and it 
brought about an explanation that was satisfactory to 
Commodore Murray and his officers. 

He next captured a French lugger of 18 guns and 
received from the captain the news that peace had 
concluded between France and the United States and 
Great Britain. 

He soon afterward fell in with Admiral Duckworth 
who confirmed the tidings of peace. Arriving off 
Point Petre he sent a flao- of truce to the French com- 
missloner and was his guest for two days which were 
days of hilarity and mirth enjoyed by the officers and 



Alexander Murray. 167 

crew of the Cojistellation. On his return voyage to 
Philadelphia with a convoy he fell in with several 
American commanders to whom he communicated the 
news ot peace. 

When the act of Congress reducing the navy was 
passed on the conclusion of peace Captain Murray 
was one of the twelve general officers retained in the 
service, and he sailed to the Mediterranean in the 
Constellatio7i. He there relieved Commanders Bain- 
bridge and Barron who, with the Philadelphia and 
Essex respectively, returned to the United States. 
While lying in port at Malaga awaiting orders from 
America he was informed by Lord Keith, the British 
admiral, of the expected arrival of his royal highness 
the Duke of Kent, and Commodore Murray joined 
the admiral in showing respect to the duke. The 
Constellation was given second place in the parade of 
war ships in the harbor. He alone blockaded the 
port of Tripoli for several weeks, repaired to Syracuse 
for provisions, and received from the bashaw advan- 
tageous terms of peace which he had no power to 
accept. After visiting the various Mediterranean 
ports he received orders to return to the United 
States and his place was taken by the CJiesapeake, 
Captain Morris, and the John Adams, Captain 
Rodgers. He convoyed to America upwards of one 
hundred vessels, and when he reached Washino-ton 
his ship was dismantled. French pirates continued 
to infest the American coast and Commodore Murray 



1 68 American Naval Heroes. 

was ordered to the Adams and cruised for several 
months off the Georgia and South Carohna coast. 
On returning to Washington his ship was laid up, 
and in 1812 he was made commanding officer of the 
Philadelphia station. 

He died at the head of the service, 1821. 



XIV. 



THOMAS TRUXTON. 

" Commodore Truxton twice commanded the Guadaloupe station previously 
to quitting the Constellation and subsequently to his hoisting his broad pennant 
on the President. At one time he had as many as ten vessels under his orders, 
a force that he directed with zeal, efficiency and discretion. He was a good 
seaman and a very brave man. To him belongs the credit of having fought the 
first battle under the present organization of the navy." — Cooper' s Naval History. 

Thomas Truxton was the son of an Enghsh 
barrister of the colony of New York, and was born 
on Long Island, February 17, 1775. His father died 
while the lad was very young and he was placed under 
the guardianship of John Troup, Esq., of Jamaica, L. I. 
He early determined to follow the sea, and when 
twelve years of age made his first voyage on board the 
ship Pitt, Captain Joseph Holmes, bound for Bristol. 
The next year at his own request he was apprenticed 
to Captain James Chambers, a celebrated commander 
engaged in the London trade. While an apprentice 
he was impressed on board the English man-of-war 
Prudent, 64 guns, but Captain Chambers obtained his 
release through a person high in authority. The cap- 
tain of the Pnidcnt was so pleased with the lad on 
account of his intelligence and activity, that he made 
flattering proposals that he should remain in the 
service and promised him rapid promotion. The 

169 



Thomas Truxton. 171 

agreement that he had vokintarily made with Captain 
Chambers outweighed all the offers of the English 
naval commander, and he left the Pimdent and 
returned to his old ship. 

In 1775 he commanded a ship engaged in trans- 
porting powder to the colonies, and about the close 
of that year he was seized off the island of St. Chris- 
topher by the captain of the British frigate Argo, 
and was detained until the general restraining act 
was passed when his vessel and cargo, of which 
he was half owner, were condemned. 

This ill wind did not wreck his buoyant mind, but 
he made his way to St. Eustatius, to which port he 
was bound when detained, and thence embarked in a 
small vessel for Philadelphia. When he arrived the 
first private ships of war were being fitted out by the 
colonies. The Congress and the Chance were ready 
for sea and he entered on board the Congj^ess as 
lieutenant. The two little ships sailed in company 
early in the winter of 1776, and proceeded to the 
West Indies. When off Havana they captured sev- 
eral valuable Jamaica ships bound for home through 
the Gulf of Florida. He was placed in command of 
one of the prizes and brought her safe into New 
Bedford, Mass. In June, 1777, in company with 
Isaac Sears, he fitted out the Independence at New 
York of which he took command. As Admiral Lord 
Howe had arrived with the British fleet at the Narrows 
and blocked that entrance to the harbor he made the 



172 American Naval Heroes. 

passage through Hell Gate and Long Island sound, 
and proceeded to a station off the Azores where he 
took several prizes and captured three valuable 
ships out of a Windward Island convoy, one of the 
vessels captured being superior in both guns and men 
to the Independence. 

On his return to the United States he fitted out 
the ship Mars, 20 guns, and sailed on a cruise to the 
Enelish channel. He sent some of his numerous 
prizes into Ouiberon bay, which act in a measure laid 
the foundation for Lord Stormont to remonstrate with 
the French court against the admission of American 
privateers and their prizes into her ports. On his 
return to Philadelphia he engaged in fitting out 
privateers and some of the most important of the 
armed private vessels from that port were owned in 
part by him. 

He commanded some of these ships and brought 
in from France and the West India Islands large car- 
goes of such captured goods as were needed by the 
American army. He carried over to France, Thomas 
Barclay, consul general to the French government, in 
the St. James, 20 guns and one hundred men, and 
in the passage encountered and badly whipped a 
British privateer of 32 guns and two hundred men. 
His antagonist was afterward towed into the port of 
New York, then held by the British, by one of the 
king's ships, in a dismantled condition owing to this 
encounter. From this 'voyage he returned to the 



TJiomas Tnixton. 1 73 

United States with the most valuable cargo ever 
brought into an American port during the war. 

It will be seen that the services to his country 
during the war for Independence were all rendered on 
board private ships and outside the general naval 
establishment. 

After the peace of 1783 Captain Truxton gave his 
attention to peaceful commerce and conducted an 
extensive trade with Europe, China and the East 
Indies. 

Upon the reorganization of the naval establishment 
in 1794, he was one of the first six captains selected 
by President Washington and in that capacity he 
superintended the building of the United States frigate 
Ccvistellation, 38 guns, at Baltimore. His zeal was so 
great that she was the first of the six frigates author- 
ized by the law of 1794, ready for sea, and he was 
directed to cruise for the protection of American com- 
merce in the West Indies. He effectually guarded 
the interests of American merchants and an enemy's 
privateer could scarcely look out of port without being 
captured. On February 9, 1799, when five leagues 
off the Island of Nevis, the Constellation being alone. 
Captain Truxton discovered a large ship to the south- 
ward upon which he immediately bore down. He 
promptly hoisted the American ensign and the strange 
sail showed the French colors and fired a shot to 
windward, the signal of an enemy. At 3.15 p. m. the 
commodore was hailed by the French captain and 



174 American N'aval Heroes. 

the Coftstellation ranged alongside the French frigate 
and poured a close and extremely well directed broad- 
side which was instantly returned. After an hour 
and a quarter occupied in a rapid exchange of broad- 
sides the Frenchman hauled down her colors and 
Captain Truxton received the surrender of the French 
frigate Liszirgente, 40 guns, and four hundred and 
seventeen men from Captain Barreau her commander. 

The lusurgejite had lost twenty-nine men killed 
and forty-four wounded, and was a complete wreck, 
while the one man killed on the Constellation was a 
gunner, shot by Lieutenant Sterrett for leaving his 
quarters during action. This disparity of loss can 
only be accounted for by the superior discipline on 
Captain Truxton's ship. 

It is recorded that while he commanded the Con- 
stellation but one man was whipped at the gangway, 
and that was for extremely bad conduct, and that he 
he was left at the first port as unworthy to belong to 
the crew of the Constellation. The prize was carried 
into Barse Terre, St. Christophers, and after refitting 
was added to the American navy. This was the first 
example of the engagement of an American frigate 
with an enemy of superior force, and very few of the 
Constellations crew had ever before engaged in a sea 
sea fight. 

The gallantry displayed by Commodore Truxton was 
highly applauded not only in America but by Euro- 
pean naval authorities. He received congratulatory 



Thomas Ti-iixton. 175 

addresses from all quarters, and the merchants of 
Lloyd's coffee house sent him a present of plate 
valued at upwards of six hundred guineas, with the 
action between the frigates beautifully engraved on 
the same. 

Captain Barreau in a letter to Commodore Trux- 
ton says: — "I am sorry that our two nations are at 
war ; but since I have unfortunately been vanquished, 
I felicitate myself and crew upon being prisoners 
to you. You have united all the qualities which 
characterize a man of honor, courage and humanity. 
Receive from me the most sincere thanks, and be 
assured I shall make it a duty to publish to all my 
fellow citizens, the generous conduct which you have 
observed towards us." 

Captain Truxton, in his official report to Secretary 
of War Stoddert, February 10, 1799, after describing 
the action, says : 

" * « * J have been much shattered in my rigging and 
sails, and my fore topmast rendered, from wounds, useless ; you 
may depend the enemy is not less so. The high state of our disci- 
phne with the gallant conduct of my oificers and men, would have 
enabled me to have compelled a more formidable enemy to have 
yielded had the fortunes of war thrown one in my way. As it is, I 
hope the President and my country will for the present be content 
with a very fine frigate being added to our navy, and that, too, with 
the loss of only one man killed and two wounded, while the enemy 
had (the French surgeon reports) 52 or 53 killed and wounded. 
Several were found dead in the tops, etc., and thrown overboard 
eighteen hours after we had possession. I must not omit in this 
hasty detail to do justice to Monsieur Bureaul, for he defended his 
ship manfully, and from my raking him several times fore and aft, 
and being athwart his stern, ready with every gun to fire when he 



176 American N^aval Heroes. 

struck his colors, we may impute the conflict not being more bloody 
on our side ; for had not these advantages been taken the engage- 
ment would not have ended so soon, for the Insurgente was com- 
pletely officered and manned." 

In closing his report to the Secretary of the Navy, 
Captain Truxton distributes the honors won in the 
fioht in these considerate and o-enerous words : 

"For the honor of our nation, I must declare that it is impos- 
sible for officers and men in any service to have behaved better 
than my people did generally on this occasion ; it must therefore 
not be understood, because I have mentioned the names of a few of 
the principal gentlemen, those of an inferior grade in their stations 
are less deserving ; on the contrary, to the latter I always felt most 
indebted for their exertions in the hour of battle, as they have gen- 
erally much less at stake than those in higher stations, and conse- 
quently less inducement to display their valor." 

The Constellatio7i was in a very short time again 
at sea, and the infant American Navy effectually cleared 
the West Indies of French privateers and that class of 
vessels dreaded by all nations, the disnationized Buc- 
caneers. The different ships engaged in this work 
cruised separately to afford better protection to the 
American merchantmen. 

Ccmmodore Truxton learned that the French 
frigate Vengeance, a large national ship of 54 guns 
and upwards of five hundred men, including several 
general officers with troops on board, was lying at 
Gaudaloupe, and he proceeded in January, 1800, to a 
point off that port, determined, notwithstanding her 
heavier metal and greater size, to bring her into action 
should she put to sea. On February i, 1800, at half- 



Thomas Triixton. 177 

past seven o'clock in the morning, he discovered a sail 
in the southeast standing to the westward which proved 
to be the J^eugeajice. Her captain crowded all sail to 
avoid the Constellation, but after a chase of twelve 
hours an action was brought on by a fire from the 
stern and quarter-deck guns of the fleeting French 
ship. This was not answered by the Co7istellation till 
she had gained the weather quarter of her antagonist. 
Commodore Truxton gave orders below not to throw 
away a single charge of powder, but to take good aim 
directly into the hull of the enemy with round shot 
and grape, loading and firing as rapidly as possible. 
The battle at close quarters was maintained for over 
four hours, until after midnight, when the enemy's fire 
was completely silenced, and the ship sheered off. 

At this moment, when the American commander 
felt sure of his prize and was using his men to secure 
his mainmast which had been badly cut, he had the 
misfortune to have it go by the board as a sudden 
squall struck the ship. Before he could effectually 
clear his deck of the wreck, the French ship effected 
her escape. Her departure was so sudden and unex- 
pected that those on board the Constellation supposed 
that she had foundered in the sea with all on board. 
It appeared, however, that she made the port of Carra- 
coa in a shattered condition with 160 men killed and 
wounded and her masts and rigging badly damaged. 
The French commander had kept his men at the 
pumps for the entire run into port to keep her from 



178 



American Naval Heroes. 



foundering. He afterward generously acknowledged 
that he had struck his colors twice but the American 
commander in continuing the fire had determined to 
sink the ship. The fact was that Commodore Truxton 
had failed to see the sienal in the darkness. In the 




Constellation and Vengeance. 



From an old ivood-c itt. 



engagement the Constellation had fourteen men killed 
and twenty-five wounded. Among the killed was 
James Jarvis, a young midshipman of great promise 
and excellent family, who commanded the maintop. 
His courage in this fierce encounter was wonderful 
and he faced certain death without hesitation. 



Thomas Triixton, \ 79 

When warned by an old sailor that the mast was cut 
and was likely to go by the board, and requested with 
his men to come down, Jarvis had replied : 

" If it goes we must go with it." 

And a few moments afterward it went and car- 
ried all but one of the topmen into the sea and a 
watery grave. 

In his address to his officers and crew Captain 
Truxton, after explaining the cause of the escape of 
the enemy after being vanquished, said : 

" As the commander, therefore, I feel infinite satisfaction in 
returning my thanks to the officers of every description, seamen, 
marines, and others, for the gallantry they displayed on this occasion, 
which, under a beneficent Providence, has enabled me to add 
another laurel to the American character on the records of the navy." 

Congress voted Captain Truxton a gold medal, and 
passed the following resolutions, which are worthy of 
being repeated in every published account that claims 
to record the gallant deeds of America's naval heroes : 

" Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled : That the Presi- 
dent of the United States be requested to present to Captain Thomas 
Truxton a golden medal emblematical of the late action between 
the United States frigate Constellation, of 38 guns, and the French 
ship-of-war Vengeance, of 54 guns, in testimony of the high sense 
entertained by Congress of the gallant and good conduct in the 
above engagement, wherein an example was exhibited by the cap- 
tain, officers, sailors and marines honorable to the American name 
and instructive to its rising navy. 

" And it is further resolved that the conduct of James Jarvis, 
a midshipman in said frigate, who gloriously preferred certain death 
to an abandonment of his post, is deserving of the highest praise, 
and that the loss of so promising an officer is a subject of national 
regret." 



i8o 



American Naval Heroes. 



Captain Truxton was the next year transferred to 
the President and given sole command of the West 
Indian squadron, with the rank of commodore. In 
1802 he was designated for the command of the 
expedition against Tripoh. In his preparations for 
this expedition he asked the new Secretary of the 




President and Piantagenet. 
From an old "luood-cut engraved in iS^i. 

Navy, Robert Smith, for the appointment of a captain 
on board his flagship. This request was looked upon 
by President Jefferson, with his extreme democratic 
notions, as savoring too much of an aristocratic estab- 
lishment in the navy, and aware that Commodore 
Truxton was well acquainted with his avowed senti- 
ment on this very subject, the President interpreted 
the request in the nature of a resignation, which he 



TJiomas Ti'iixton. i8i 

promptly accepted, dropping Commodore Truxton's 
name from the navy list. 

He retired to his farm in New Jersey and after- 
ward removed to Philadelphia where he was high 
sheriff, 1816-1819. Eight of his grandsons followed 
their illustrious grandsire in selecting the navy as a 
life calling, and received their training at the Naval 
Academy at Annapolis, Md. Commodore Truxton 
died in Philadelphia, Pa., May 5, 1822. 



XV. 



EDWARD PREBLE. 

"The energy and intrepidity which marked his character, the passion for 
achieving deeds of honor that glowed in his breast, were emulated and shared 
by his officers and fully seconded by his men who thought mighty things easy 
under such a commander." — Portfolio. 

Edward Preble was born in Portland, Maine, then 
Falmouth, on Casco Bay in the State of Massa- 
chusetts. His father, the Honorable Jedediah Preble, 
was a brigadier-general in the Massachusetts militia 
and after the beginning of the Revolutionary war, a 
senator and council of the Commonwealth. He died 
in 1783, in the seventy-seventh year of his age. 

As a boy Edward loved adventure and his tempera- 
ment was firm, resolute and persevering. His consti- 
tution, naturally robust, he had developed into great 
strength by systematic outdoor exercise and athletic 
sport. His father wished to give him a college educa- 
tion and with this end in view placed him at Dummer 
Academy, Newbury, under the care of Samuel Moody, 
a celebrated teacher. He was a diligent student and 
out of school a ruling spirit in sport. 

It is recorded of his school experience that his pre- 
ceptor was liable to gusts of temper, portentous in ap- 
pearance, though harmless in effect. On one occasion 

183 



184 American Naval Heroes. 

young Preble in an encounter with a schoolfellow 
had given a blow which covered his antagonist's face 
with blood. When the boy presented himself in school 
in this plight, announcing Preble as the cause of his 
misfortune, the master's ire was raised to a tempest. 
Seizing the fire-shovel he sprang toward the offender 
aiming a blow at his head, but which he took good 
care should miss the mark and land with a ringing 
noise upon the desk. He repeated the motion bring- 
ing the deadly weapon down with the utmost violence 
on the other side of the apparent victim. Young 
Preble did not change his attitude or countenance. 
He sat perfectly erect and looked calmly at his assail- 
ant. The teacher from being pale and quivering with 
rage became instandy composed and turning away 
exclaimed, "That fellow will be a general ! " 

Against the wishes and hopes of his father Edward 
persisted in his plan to be a sailor, and after three 
years at the school he entered on board a ship. His 
first voyage was to Europe on board a letter of 
marque, Captain Friend, and his first experience, 
although trying in the extreme, did not cure him of 
his infatuation, but gave evidence of the hardihood 
and courage afterward so conspicuous in his naval 
career. About the year 1779 he became midshipman 
in the state ship Protector, 26 guns, Captain John 
Forster Williams. On the first cruise the Protector 
engaged in a sea fight with the letter-of-marque Ad- 
miral Duff, 36 guns, off the banks of Newfoundland. 



Edward Preble. 185 

It was a short but hard-fought battle, and at such 
close quarters that hand grenades were hurled from 
one ship to the other with effect. The Admiral Duff 
struck her flag but the fire raging in her rigging 
and on her deck reached the magazine and she was 
destroyed. Captain Williams succeeded in saving 
about forty of her crew who had taken refuge in the 
water. With these men as prisoners he continued 
his voyage, and soon a malignant fever broke out 
among the prisoners and extended to the crew of the 
Protector, two-thirds of whom were carried off by 
the disease. 

He returned to an eastern port, landed the rem- 
nant of his prisoners and recruited his crew after which 
he sailed on a second cruise. Falling in with a British 
sloop-of-war and frigate the Protector was unable to 
escape from the vessels and was captured and carried 
to New York. From here Captain Williams and the 
chief officers were carried to England, but young 
Preble, through the influence of Colonel William 
Tyng, a friend of his father, obtained his release. 
On returning home, after some months of inactivity, 
he entered as first lieutenant on board the sloop-of- 
war JVinthrop, Captain George Little, who had been 
Captain Williams's second in command on the Pro- 
tector and who had scaled the walls of the prison at 
Plymouth, England, and escaped with one other pris- 
oner in a wherry to France taking passage thence to 
America and landing in Boston. 



1 86 AiJierican Naval Heroes. 

While on the Winthrop Lieutenant Preble boarded 
and cut out an English armed brig anchored in Penob- 
scot harbor under circumstances that gave the exploit 
much publicity. 

Captain Little had taken the brig's tender and 
from the crew gained information of the situation 
of the brig which made him resolve to attempt to 
surprise and seige her. The method he used was to 
dress forty of his crew in white frocks to enable them 
to distinguish friend from foe in the dark. When he 
had run alongside the brig in the night he was hailed 
by the enemy, who supposed the WmtJirop to be their 
own tender, with: 

" You will run aboard." 

Captain Little answered : 

" I am coming aboard." 

And immediately Lieutenant Preble with fourteen 
men sprang into the brig. The motion of the vessel 
was so rapid as to carry it beyond the brig before the 
rest of the crew could board, and this left Preble with 
his little force on the deck while the boat with Captain 
Little and thirty-seven men was beyond the reach of the 
brig and would have to tack before they could afford any 
help. Thereupon Captain Little called out to Preble, 

" Will you not have more men ? " 

With great presence of mind and in a loud voice 
he answered, 

" No; we have more then we want; we stand in 
each other's way." 



Edward Preble. 187 

Those of the enemy's crew who were on the deck 
were seized with fear and leaped over the side swim- 
ine to the shore. Others followed from the cabin 
windows. Preble instantly entered the cabin and 
found the officers in bed or just rising. He assured 
them they were his prisoners and that resistance was 
vain and that if they attempted to escape they would 
be shot down. Believinof the vessel to be in the 
possession of a considerable party they offered no 
resistance to their arrest. Meanwhile the sailors who 
had jumped overboard and reached the shore spread 
the alarm, and the British troops in possession of the 
town marched down to the vessel and commenced a 
brisk firing with muskets while the land battery 
opened a cannonading on the captured brig, but their 
aim was too higfh to take effect. In the meantime 
Lieutenant Preble and his men got their prize out 
of the harbor in the face of the musketry of the sol- 
diers and the cannonading from the land battery, and 
carried her in triumph into Boston. 

Lieutenant Preble continued on the ]Vinthrop till 
the peace of 1793 was declared when he became a 
ship-master and made successful voyages to all parts 
of the globe. 

In the year 1798 the conduct of the rulers of France 
toward the United States had awakened a spirit of re- 
sistance in both the people and the government. The 
President issued a call for a navy, which had been, 
as it now proved, hastily and imprudently disbanded. 



1 88 American Naval Heroes. 

The friends of a policy favoring a standing army 
and a strong naval force ready for any emergency, not 
only of defence but as well of negotiation, but who had 
been overruled by the conservative party, now came 
forward and supported the President in his demand. 

In 1799 fifteen frigates and twelve other vessels of 
war were built and commissioned. The naval heroes 
of the Revolution who had proved so effective in that 
struggle, had not yet grown too old to be employed 
in the service, and they offered the new navy the 
benefit of their experience. 

Of the five lieutenants appointed Mr. Preble was 
one, and he made two cruises with the Pickering 
which he commanded. He was then promoted cap- 
tain and was given command of the frigate Essex, 
36 guns. In January, 1800, he made a voyage in her 
to Batavia in company with Captain James Sevier, com- 
manding the Congress, to convoy returning American 
merchantmen from India and the East. 

The day after leaving port they encountered a 
snow-storm and in it they parted from the three ves- 
sels they were convoying out. On the 12th in a 
heavy gale the Essex parted from the Congress which 
vessel had been dismasted and obliged to put back to 
port. The Essex pursued the voyage alone without 
knowledge of the mishap to the Co7igr'ess. After 
waiting at the Cape of Good Hope a suitable time, 
hoping that she would come up, the Essex sailed for 
Batavia making, on the way out and on the return 



Edward Preble. 189 

voyage, cruises in the Straits of Sunda each occupying 
a fortnight. 

Captain Preble left for home having under convoy 
fourteen sail of American merchantmen with cargoes 
valued at several millions of dollars. He brought his 
valuable wards safe to New York near the end of 
the year. This long voyage greatly undermined his 
health which failed rapidly afterward. He was given 
command of the Adams and ordered to the Mediter- 
ranean, but finding himself too ill to undertake the 
voyage he was obliged to resign her to Captain 
Campbell. 

In 1803 he had partially recovered, and in May 
of that year he was appointed to the command of the 
Constitution, then lying in Boston, and which he was 
instructed to get ready for sea. In June, 1803, he 
received orders to take command of the squadron 
then preparing for active service in the Mediterranean. 
The fleet was to be made up of the Constitution, 44 
guns, flagship ; the Philadelphia, 44 guns, Captain 
Willaim Bainbridge, already at the station ; the 
Argus, 18 guns; the Syren, 16 guns. Lieutenant 
Stewart; tho. Nautilus, 16 guns; the Vixen, 16 guns; 
and the Enterprise, Lieutenant Stephen Decatur, 14 
guns. 

President Jefferson in his message to Congress 
October 3, 1803, speaking of this expedition and its 
purpose said : "The small vessels authorized by Con- 
o-ress with a view to the Mediterranean service have 



190 American Naval Heroes. 

been sent into that sea, and will be able more effect- 
ually to confine the Tripolitan cruisers within their 
harbors, and supercede the necessity of convoy to 
our navigation in that quarter. They will sensibly 
lessen the expenses of the service the ensuing year," 

The Secretary of the Navy, in announcing to Cap- 
tain Preble his appointment, observed : " Reposing 
in your skill, judgment and bravery the highest degree 
of confidence, the President has determined to commit 
the command of this squadron to your direction. To 
a gentleman of your activity and zeal for the public 
service, to command your most strenuous exertions, 
I need only inform you that your country requires 
them." 

In his answer Captain Preble said : 

" I am fully aware of the great trust and high 
responsibility connected with this appointment. The 
honor of the American flag is very dear to me, and I 
hope it will never be tarnished under my command." 

At this time our situation with respect to Morocco 
and Tunis was critical, and as to Tripoli it had been 
hostile for two years. The administration had adopted 
the same policy pursued toward these powers by 
European countries in giving them presents or 
annuities in conformity to their prejudices and habits, 
at the same time making an occasional display of 
force by sending men-of-war in their seas, and by 
thus intimidating them keeping down their demands 
to a reasonable amount. 



Edward Preble. 191 

The tribute had been paid regularly previous to 
1793, without recourse to the expense of a naval 
demonstration, and the demands of the African orov- 
ernments had become exorbitant and threatening". 
Great sums had been paid in specie and in articles 
of war, and this was especially exacting on the part of 
Algiers. The new bashaw of Tripoli who had deposed 
his elder brother, not satisfied with the tribute already 
levied on our government determined to exact more 
by sending out cruisers to prey upon the American 
trade. Commodore Dale and subsequently Commo- 
dore Morris had while in charge of the Mediterranean 
station furnished convoys to American merchantmen 
and had blockaded their principal cruiser at Gibral- 
tar, and fired upon and dismantled another. Both 
Dale and Morris had recommended small vessels to 
act as a blockading fleet rather than the large frigates 
and men-of-war. It was with this in view that Com- 
modore Preble's fleet was made up of boats carrying 
16 and 18 guns. 

The Cou<;titution was not ready to sail till the 13th 
of August. Commodore Preble experienced great 
trouble in shipping a crew as he endeavored to man 
the ship with American seamen, and the merchant ser- 
vice was paying higher wages than the navy. 

He arrived at Gibraltar September 12, and there 
learned that Captain Bainbridge had captured the 
Moorish ship Mirboka, 22 guns and 100 men, with 
orders among her papers to cruise for Americans. 



192 American Naval Heroes. 

The paper was not signed but the captain said it had 
been dehvered to him sealed by the government of 
Tangier with orders to open it at sea. Under these 
orders she had captured the American ship Celia, 
Captain Bowen, which was then in company and which 
Captain Bainbridge restored to the owner. 

The next day Commodore Preble wrote to the 
American consul, Mr. Simpson, at Tangier, instruct- 
ing him to assure the Moorish court that the United 
States desired peace with his majesty if it could be 
had on proper terms — that he could not suppose the 
emperor's subjects would dare to make war without 
his permission ; but as their authority was disarmed 
by the governor he should punish as a pirate every 
Moorish cruiser found to have taken an American 
vessel. 

Pending an adjustment of this difficulty Commo- 
dore Preble requested Commodore Rodgers, who was 
under orders to proceed with the frigates yohn Adams 
and New York to the United States, to remain on the 
station for a few days. 

On the 17th he appeared with the Constitution 
and the John Ada^ns in Tangier bay and hoisted a 
white flag in token of peace, but with all his men at 
quarters by way of precaution. The United States 
consul was not permitted to come on board nor to 
write to the commodore except on an open slip of 
paper, he being in fact a prisoner in his own house 
with two guards at his door. 



Edward Preble. 193 

He obtained the consent of Commodore Rodgers 
to remain and co-operate with him, and he then gave 
orders to his squadron to bring in for examination all 
vessels belonging to the emperor and his subjects. 
He dispatched his smaller vessels to cruise off Moga- 
dor, Sallee, Zarach and Tetuan while he entered the 
bay of Tangier several times. He also dispatched the 
Philadelphia and the Vixe7i to lie before Tripoli, 

The emperor was reported absent and expected to 
return on October 5th. On that day Commodore 
Preble in the Co7istitutioji with the Nautilus in com- 
pany anchored in Tangier bay, one and a half miles 
from the battery. On the 6th he was joined by the 
John Adams and the N'ezv York and they all moved 
nearer to the town. The ships were kept cleared for 
action and the men at quarters night and day. On 
the 6th his majesty arrived with a body of troops, 
horse and foot, estimated at 5,000 and encamped on 
the beach opposite the American squadron. The 
commodore ordered the flag-ship dressed and a salute 
of twenty -one guns fired, which was answered from 
the battery. The other ships saluted and had their 
salutes returned the next morning. The consul gave 
notice that on the arrival of the emperor's minister 
negotiations would be opened. The emperor sent 
to the ship a present of bullocks, sheep and fowls 
dressed for the table as a token of his good will. 

On the 8th the emperor and his suite with a large 
body of troops visited the beach and batteries on the 



194 American Naval Heroes. 

bay and the Constitution saluted again with twenty- 
one guns, which apparently pleased the court. The 
consul gave notice of the release of the American 
brig detained at Magador, and informed Commo- 
dore Preble that the following Monday, the iith, 
was fixed for an audience. On that day the commo- 
dore, Colonel Lear, Mr. Morris as secretary, and two 
midshipmen landed at Tangier. 

Before he left his ship Commodore Preble gave 
orders that should the party be forcibly detained, no 
consideration for their safety should be made, but 
that the fleet should open fire on the town. On 
approaching the emperor the commodore refused to 
lay aside his side arms according to Moorish custom, 
and was allowed to carry them. He obtained a 
promise of a restoration of all American vessels 
captured and a ratification of the treaty of 1786, 
together with a letter of friendship and peace to the 
President signed by the emperor. 

We give the details of this peaceful solution of 
threatened war as an example of the value of a navy 
in enforcing peace, as well as in conquering an enemy. 
In either instance it reflects equal credit on the com- 
mander of the navy and on the men who stood at 
their guns ready to enforce his orders. 

Commodore Preble now formally declared the 
blockade of Tripoli and sent notices of the fact to the 
ministers and consuls to be communicated to the 
respective neutral powers. On October 2 2d, after 



Edward Preble. 195 

returninof from Cadiz, and while sailine from Alo-iers 
to Syracuse where he went to obtain supplies, he was 
informed of the disastrous loss of the Philadelphia, 
Captain William Bainbridge. 

On December 14th he sailed with the Enterprise 
on a winter cruise and on the morning of the 23d, the 
Enterprise captured a ketch in sight of Tripoli, which 
had left the port at night bound for Bengaza. She 
was under Turkish colors and had as sailors both 
Turks and Greeks. She had on board, two Tripolitan 
officers of distinction, a son of one of the officers, a 
number of Tripolitan soldiers, and forty or more men 
and women, slaves belonging to the bashaw and his 
subjects. Commodore Preble at first determined to 
release the vessel and men claimed by the Turkish 
captain and to retain the Tripolitans, about sixty in 
number, as prisoners, but before executing the order 
he learned that the captain had been active in the cap- 
ture of the Philadelphia, having on this very vessel 
carried to the doomed ship one hundred Tripolitans 
armed with cutlasses and muskets, and raising the 
Tripolitan flag in place of his own, had assaulted 
the ship and plundered the officers. Upon receiving 
this information Commodore Preble retained the ship 
and crew, as either a prize or a pirate. He con- 
verted her into the ketch Intrepid, after transmit- 
ting her papers to the government and having her 
appraised. We shall hear more from her in the sketch 
of Stephen Decatur. 



196 American Naval Heroes. 

Commodore Preble through the good offices of 
Sir Alexander Bell succeeded in conveying supplies 
and information to Captain Bainbridge and his offi- 
cers and men in prison, and tried several times to 
effect their ransom, but did not think it wise to submit 
to the extravagant terms demanded by the regency. 
In the spring he took as a prize the Tripoline, and 
put her into commission as the Scoiirge. 

Finding that no additional vessels were likely to 
arrive speedily from the United States he negotiated 
with the King of Naples for a loan of gun-boats, and 
General Acton, the United States minister at the court, 
effected the loan of six gun-boats and two bomb- 
vessels completely fitted for service, with permission 
to ship twelve to fifteen Neapolitans to serve on each 
boat under the American flag. On July 21, 1804, 
he joined the detachment off Tripoli, and his force 
consisted of the Constitution, 44 guns; the Argus, 
18 guns; the Sireit, 18 guns; the Scoicrge\ the Vixen, 
16 guns; the Nautilus, 16 guns; the Enterprise, 14 
guns, six gun-boats of one brass 26-pounder each, 
and two bomb-ketches each carrying a 13-inch mortar, 
the entire fleet manned by 1060 men. 

The enemy had on his castle and the several bat- 
teries 1 15 guns, and also had two schooners of 8 guns 
each, a brig of 10 guns and two gallies of 4 guns each. 
He had in his crews and the garrisons of his forts and 
batteries 3000 men, and the bashaw had called to the 
defence of the city more than 20,000 Arabs. 



Edivai'd Preble. 197 

Commodore Preble was delayed in attacking the 
city by adverse winds that increased to a gale until 
the 3d of August, when he attacked the shipping 
at the entrance to the harbor. The order of battle on 
the part of the American attacking fleet was as fol- 
lows : the gun-boats in two divisions of three each ; 
the first division under Captain Somers on board 
No. I, with Lieutenant James Decatur on No. 2, and 
with Lieutenant Blake on No. 3 ; the second division 
under Captain Decatur in No. 4, with Lieutenant 
Bainbridge in No. 5, and Lieutenant Trippe in No. 6. 
The two bombards were commanded by Lieutenant 
Commandant Dent, and by First Lieutenant Robin- 
son of the Constitution. 

At half-past one the squadron stood for the bat- 
teries ; at two they cast off the gun-boats ; at half-past 
two the signal was given for the bomb-vessels and 
boats to advance and attack, and in fifteen minutes 
after the signal was given, general action was begun 
by the bomb-vessels throwing shells into the city. 
This drew a response from the entire line of batteries 
in which 200 guns directed their fire at the squadron,' 
then within musket-shot of the principal batteries. 
Captain Decatur attacked the eastern division of nine 
boats with his three and was soon engaged in a hand 
to hand conflict more minutely described under his 
own sketch. Lieutenant Trippe boarded one of the 
enemy's large boats with only Midshipman Jonathan 
Henley and nine men. His boat fell off before any 



198 American Naval Heroes. 

more could join him and he was left to conquer or 
perish with the fearful odds of eleven to thirty-six. In 
a few moments fourteen of the enemy were bleeding 
corpses, and twenty-two were prisoners, seven of them 
badly wounded. Lieutenant Trippe received eleven 
sabre wounds, some deep and dangerous. The blade 
of his sword yielded and he closed with his adversary 
and both fell. In the struggle Trippe wrested the 
Turk's sword from him and with it pierced his body. 
Midshipman Henley also displayed the valor and cool- 
ness expected only from veterans. Lieutenant Bain- 
bridge had his boat grounded within pistol shot of the 
enemy's battery, but though exposed to continuous 
volleys of musketry he succeeded in getting off. Cap- 
tain Somers with his single boat attacked and drove 
off five full-manned boats, leaving them in a shattered 
condition with many dead and wounded on board. 
Lieutenant Decatur engaged one of the enemy's larg- 
est boats which struck only after losing most of her 
men, and at the moment the brave lieutenant was step- 
ping on his prize, he was shot through the head by the 
Turkish captain who escaped while the Americans 
were recovering the body of their unfortunate com- 
mander. The two bombs kept up a continuous fire 
at the town and the explosion of the shells spread 
consternation among the Arab troops. 

The Constitution kept the enemy's flotilla in dis- 
order, keeping in constant motion and going to the 
help of any weak point in the line of battle. She was 



Edward Preble. 199 

frequently within danger line of the rocks and her 
broadsides effectually silenced any battery she could 
bring them to bear upon. She was not able to remain 
long before a single fort as it was necessary to wear 
or tack to help some gun-boat or to direct her fire 
against a more destructive battery in another part of 
the harbor. 

Commodore Preble felt sadly the need of a second 
frigate. After two and a half hours' combat the com- 
modore signalled for the gun-boats and bombs to re- 
tire from the action, and for the brigs and schooners 
to take the gun-boats and their prizes in tow. The 
order w^as handsomely executed under cover of the 
guns of the Constitution. In fifteen minutes the 
squadron was out of reach of the enemy's shot and the 
commodore hauled off to give tow to the bomb-ketches. 

The damage to the squadron was a mainmast of 
the Constitution cut thirty feet from the deck by a 32- 
pound shot, sails and rigging considerably cut, one 
of her quarter-deck guns injured by a wind shot, and a 
mariner's arm shattered by a piece of the broken shot, 
the only casualty on board. The other vessels and 
boats suffered in their riggings and had several men 
wounded, Lieutenant Decatur, the brother of Captain 
Stephen Decatur, being the only man killed. The 
extremely bad marksmanship of the enemy and the 
constant and rapid fire of the American guns confused 
the enemy and their shot went wide of the mark. Of 
the loss to the enemy no definite knowledge could be 



200 American Naval Heroes. 

gained. On the three boats captured with one hun- 
dred and three men on board, forty-seven of them 
were killed and twenty-six wounded, leaving only 
thirty fit for duty. Three other boats with their crews 
went to the bottom of the harbor and the decks of the 
remaining vessels were swept of numbers. On the 
shore several guns were dismounted, the town was 
considerably damaged and a large number of men 
were killed and wounded. 

The bashaw and his people had apprehended 
danger, for the exploit of the burning of the Phila- 
delphia had given them an example of the daring and 
bravery of American sailors, but they had little sus- 
pected so complete a disaster to their fleet, batteries 
and town. In fact when the bashaw saw the squadron 
standing in he observed, 

"They will work their distance for tacking; they 
are a sort of Jews, who have no notion of fighting." 

The palaces and terraces of the houses were cov- 
ered with spectators when the fight began, expecting 
to see the bashaw's boats drive the strangers from 
the harbor. They soon sought safety in the country 
and bomb-proofs, and while the fight lasted no specta- 
tors were to be seen on shore. One of the officers of 
the Philadelphia then in captivity reported a Turk as 
asking " if those men that fought so were Americans 
or infernals in Christian shape sent to destroy the sons 
of the prophet. The consuls tell us the Americans 
are a young nation, and gained their independence 



Edward Preble. 201 

through the aid of France ; that they had a small navy 
and their officers were inexperienced, and that they 
were merely a nation of merchants, and that by taking- 
their ships and men we should get a great ransom. 
Instead of this their Preble pays us a coin of shot, 
shells and hard blows, and sends a Decatur in a dark 
night with a band of Christian dogs, fierce and cruel 
as the tiger, who killed our brothers and burned our 
ships before our eyes." 

On the 5th of August Commodore Preble prevailed 
upon a French privateer to carry to Tripoli fourteen 
wounded Tripolitans whose wounds had been carefully 
dressed. He sent with the prisoners a letter to the 
bashaw's minister. These prisoners are said to have 
reported to the prince that the Americans in battle 
were fiercer than lions, but in treatment of their cap- 
tives were even more kind than Mussulmen. The 
return of the wounded gained a promise from the min- 
ister to return any American that might be wounded, 
but he said that he could not return any of the Phil- 
adelphia s crew. 

On the 7th the French privateer returned with a 
letter from the consul saying that the bashaw had very 
much lowered his tone and would probably treat for 
terms. Further movement in that direction not being 
apparent Commodore Preble began a second assault 
with the bomb-vessels and schooners. These shelled 
the town and silenced a battery of seven guns. A hot 
shot from the enemy's battery passed through the 



202 American Naval Heroes. 

magazine of one of Preble's prize boats and she was 
blown up with a loss of ten killed and six wounded, 
includinof Lieutenant Caldwell of the Siren and Mid- 
shipman J. Dorsey. Midshipman Spence and eleven 
men were taken up unhurt. 

Mr. Spence was superintending the loading of a 
gun when the explosion took place. He with the 
other survivors finished their work and discharged the 
gun while the boat was sinking, then jumped in the 
sea and were taken up by another boat. The Ameri- 
can loss during the two hours' assault was twenty-two 
killed, two mortally wounded and four slightly hurt. 

The John Adams, Captain Chauncey, arrived and 
joined the squadron at eight o'clock that evening and 
brought the news to Commodore Preble that four 
frigates were on the way to re-enforce the detachment. 

As the frigates were to follow the John Adams in 
four days the commodore suspended further opera- 
tions, awaiting their arrival. That vessel having been 
sent out as a transport, had her guns stowed by the 
Kelson, and their carriages put away in the other 
frigates. Hence she was not available for action till 
the other ships should arrive. 

Captain Chauncey received orders to remain at 
the station that the Commodore might make use of his 
boats and men, should he deem it advisable to renew 
the attack before the arrival of the other frigates. On 
the 9th Commodore Preble in the brig Argus recon- 
noitered the harbor and the next day a flag of truce 



Edivard Preble. 203 

was seen flying from the shore. A boat was sent to 
answer, but was not allowed to land. It brought from 
the French consul a letter informinof the commodore 
that the bashaw would accept five hundred dollars 
each for the ransom of the prisoners of the Philadel- 
phia and terminate the war without any consideration 
or annuity for peace. This demand amounted to 
$150,000, and Commodore Preble rejected the offer, 
but for the sake of the captives, and to save the 
further effusion of blood, offered $80,000 and $10,000 
for presents. The French commissary general under- 
took to negotiate the treaty when the bashaw sus- 
pended it, declaring that he would await another 
attack of the Americans. 

Therefore, on the night of the 23d the bomb- 
vessels were directed to bombard the town under pro- 
tection of the gun-boats, and they kept it up for five 
hours without much apparent effect. On the 27th 
the commodore stood in for Tripoli. Captain Chaun- 
cey and several of his officers and about seventy sea- 
men from the yoh?i Adams volunteered their services 
on board the Constitution which anchored two miles 
from Fort English, the light vessels anchoring within 
pistol-shot of the enemy's line at three o'clock in the 
morning, with springs to their cables. They opened 
a brisk fire on the ships, town, batteries and castle 
which was warmly returned until daylight. Then the 
Constitution weighed anchor and stood in under the 
direct fire of Fort English, the castle, crown and mole 



204 America7i Naval Heroes. 

batteries and signalled the gun-boats to retire from 
action. When within sure distance the Co7istitutioii 
opened her battery with round and grape-shot upon 
the thirteen gun-boats and galleys which had engaged 
the Americans' small craft. This storm of shot sunk 
one of the gun-boats, disabled two and put the rest to 
flight. Commodore Preble then ran in along the bat- 
teries, within musket-shot distance and fired three 
hundred round shot besides grape and cannister into 
the bashaw's castle, the town and the batteries. He 
silenced the castle and two of the batteries and then 
hauled off. 

On the 3d of September after repairing the 
damages of the other attack a third one was begun 
in which the Constitution took the brunt of the 
battle. In this all the vessels were injured in their 
shrouds and riggings and -the Ai'gns received a 
32-pound shot in her hull. No lives were lost on 
the American fleet. 

Commodore Preble then determined to send a fire- 
ship into the harbor to destroy the flotilla and at the 
same time to bombard the town. Captain Somers 
volunteered for this service and with the assistance of 
Lieutenants Wadsworth and Israel fitted out the ketch 
Intrepid for the dangerous expedition. In the ketch 
was stored 100 barrels of gunpowder and 150 fixed 
shells, with trains of fuses and other combustibles so 
fixed as to apply fire easily to the deadly magazine 
at the moment the venturesome crew should have 



Edzvard Preble. 



205 



placed the fire-ship in position. On the evening of 
September 4, 1804, Captain Somers selected two fast- 
rowing boats to use in the escape of his volunteer 
crew. His own boat was manned by four seamen 
from the Nautilus and carried Lieutenant Wadsworth 
and six men from the Constitution. At eieht o'clock 
they parted from the squadron and under convoy of 
the Argus, Vixen and N^autilus who approached 
within a short distance of the batteries, the hitrepid 
with her dangerous freight gained the inner harbor 
and as she neared the point of destination she was 
boarded and carried by two Tripolitan galleys of one 
hundred men each. 

At this moment she exploded with an awful effect. 
Every battery was silenced and not a gun was fired 
afterward duringr the entire niorht. 

Captain Somers is said to have assured a friend 
before he started on his perilous expedition, that in 
case he should be boarded, as he apprehended, he 
would not be captured. 

It is very reasonable to suppose that finding the 
enemy in possession of his ketch, he seized a quick 
match and touched the trail of gunpowder that led to 
the mine, and in the explosion that followed he with 
his companions found a common grave with two hun- 
dred of the enemy. 

This exploit was a test of heroism on the part of 
Captain Somers and his volunteer crew, that was only 
equaled in naval annals when Lieutenant Hobson 



2o6 American Naval Heroes. 

and his brave followers steamed the Merriniac past 
the fort into Santiago harbor in July, 1898. 

On the arrival of Commodore Barron the squad- 
rons joined and Commodore Preble obtained leave to 
go home, passing the command of the Constitution 
over to Captain Decatur. Congress voted the thanks 
of the nation and an emblematic medal which on the 
arrival of Commodore Preble in the United States 
was presented by the President with declarations of 
admiration and esteem. The next year peace was 
made with Tripoli, the American prisoners were ran- 
somed, and the navy returned home. 

Commodore Preble died in Portland, Maine, August 
25, 1807. The Government ordered minute-guns to 
be fired, and other marks of naval mourning were 
ordered to honor the memory of the patriot and 
hero. He died surrounded by a large circle of 
friends, and the heroism that had gained for him 
renown in life did not forsake him as he stood on the 
threshold of the hereafter. He lived and died a Chris- 
tian hero, and made one of the triumvirate of central 
figures of the early navy : Jones of the Revolution ; 
Truxton of the West Indies ; and Preble of the opera- 
tions against Tripoli. 



XVI. 



STEPHEN DECATUR. 

" His countrymen applauded his conduct as loudly when fortune was 
adverse as when she crowned him with the wreath of victory. It has ever 
been his country's boast that Decatur was never a prisoner, but when com- 
mander of a single frigate he surrendered to the detachment of a fleet." — 
Memoir of Commodore Decatur. 

The hero of the American navy who on February 
1 6, 1804, destroyed the frigate Philadelphia while in 
the hands of the enemy in the harbor of Tripoh, and 
received for the achievement a vote of thanks and a 
sword from Congress, was the son of Stephen Decatur, 
commander of the sloop of war Dclaiuarc, and after- 
w^ard of the frigate Philadelphia in the war against 
France. He was born on the eastern shore of Mary- 
land, January 5, 1779, his parents having retired 
there during the occupation of Philadelphia by the 
British. He was educated in Philadelphia and was 
warranted a midshipman in the United States navy 
in March, 1798, through the influence of Commodore 
Barry, and was joined to the frigate Lhiited States. 
He was promoted lieutenant while with Commodore 
Barry, and when the United States was docked for 
repairs, he joined the brig Norfolk and made one 
cruise to the Spanish Main as first lieutenant. On 
his return he resumed his station on the United States 



Stephen Decatur. 209 

where he remained until peace was concluded with 
France. 

He then sailed with Commodore Dale's squadron 
to the Mediterranean as first lieutenant of the Essex. 
On the return of that squadron he was ordered to the 
Ahiu York, one of the frigates in the second Mediter- 
ranean squadron under Commodore Morris. 

When he returned to the United States on the 
Xeio York he was ordered to the command of the 
ArgiLs and with that vessel joined Commodore 
Preble's squadron then in the Mediterranean. 

On arriving at the station he was to give over the 
command of the Argus to Lieutenant Hull and to take 
command of the schooner Enterprise then under com- 
mand of Hull. After making this exchange he pro- 
ceeded to Syracuse where the squadron was to 
rendezvous, and there he learned of the fate of the 
frigate Philadelphia. 

It appeared that while Commodore Preble was 
carrying on his negotiations with the Emperor of 
Morocco, Captain Bainbridge, with the Philadelphia 
and the Vixen, had proceeded to blockade the harbor 
of Tripoli. On giving chase to a Tripolitan vessel 
seeking to enter the harbor, the frigate was led, in the 
excitement, too near the shore, and ran high on a reef 
of rocks, where she stuck, despite the best efforts of 
the captain to lighten her by cutting her anchors and 
throwing overboard her heavy forward guns. He 
then braced her yards aback and put out all her boats 



2IO American Naval Heroes. 

astern to tow her into deep water. This too, failed, 
and the enemy took advantage of the helpless condi- 
tion of the frigate and directed all their fleet to open 
fire upon the luckless ship. This they the more 
eagerly did, as it gave them an opportunity to revenge 
themselves for the severe punishment and humili- 
ation they had received on board the Tripoli at the 
hands of Captain Sterritt. The Philadelphia had 
toppled to one side as the tide receded, and her guns 
were thus rendered useless as against the enemy, who 
directed their fire against the masts and rigging. 

Captain Bainbridge, finding all efforts to float the 
frigate useless, and wishing to prevent the wanton 
sacrifice of his men, hauled down the flag. The 
Tripolitans at once put to their boats and rapidly 
rowed to the stranded frigate and crowded over her 
rails and through her portholes. They looted the 
chests and lockers and held up the officers and crew, 
taking from them watches, money, and any valuable 
trinkets or keepsakes they possessed, even stripping 
them of their uniforms, leaving officers and men alike 
in their shirts and trousers. The three hundred and 
seven making up the crew were carried in this condi- 
tion before the pasha. They were all imprisoned in 
the building used before the war as the American con- 
sulate, where the flagstaff supporting the Stars and 
Stripes had been cut down, which act had led to the 
declaration of war. The Tripolitans at high tide suc- 
ceeded in floating the Philadelphia, and recovering 



Stephen Decatiu^ 211 

her anchors and guns, cast overboard, they soon had 
her fully restored and in fighting trim and anchored 
in the inner harbor. Commodore Preble, on learning 
of this condition of affairs, determined to destroy the 
Philadelphia as she thus lay at anchor. To this end 
he accepted the voluntary services of Lieutenant 
Decatur to command the daring expedition. 

He disguised the Intrepid, which he had captured 
a few weeks before from the enemy, with a Tripolitan 
rig, and accompanied by the Siren, Lieutenant Stewart, 
as a support and to cover his retreat, made the ven- 
ture with a volunteer crew of seventy men, mostly 
from his own vessel. The Philadelphia was protected 
by the guns of the pasha's castle and by the neigh- 
boring forts, besides being surrounded by all the gal- 
leys of the enemy's flotilla. 

Adverse winds delayed the expedition for over a 
week, and the Siren was left behind six or eight miles. 
As delay might prove fatal to the enterprise Decatur 
decided to venture in the harbor alone, which he did 
about eight o'clock. The Intrepid, in the darkness, 
had those of her crew forced to be on deck disguised 
with Maltese caps, while the remainder of the men 
were crouched in the shadows of the bulwark or below 
deck. 

They passed the battery, gained the side of the ship, 
and hailed the officer of the Philadelphia in his own 
tongue, asking for permission to run a hawser to the 
frigate, as they had lost their anchors in the storm, and 



2 1 2 America7i Naval Heroes. 

would ride by her for the night. A breeze sprang up 
which drove the Intrepid about twenty miles away and 
directly under the guns of the Philadelphia. Decatur 
maintained perfect calmness, and in a low voice 
ordered the boat manned to carry the hawser to the 
frigate. This was met by a boat from the Philadelphia 
sent out to help them. The ends of the respective 
hawsers were spliced and the boat returned, while the 
crew of the Philadelphia quietly hauled the hawser 
taut and soon brought the Intrepid alongside the 
Philadelphia. Then the cry "Americanos!" broke 
upon the stillness of the night. They were discovered. 

Decatur rang out the order "Board!" and with 
Lieutenant Morris leaped upon the deck of the Phila- 
delphia. The crew followed, each armed with cutlass 
and pistol. The Tripolitan crew, panic-stricken, 
rushed to the bow and leaped from the rail into the 
water. A few, more brave, offered a feeble resistance, 
but soon succumbed. 

The victorious boarders prepared the combustibles, 
methodically applied the match, and the whole ship 
was soon in a blaze. Decatur was the last to leave 
the burning frigate, and swung from the rail into the 
rigging of the Intrepid as she veered off to escape 
the conflagration. All the guns of the forts at this 
moment were trained toward the little Intrepid, as the 
glare from the burning frigate lightened the harbor 
and discovered her position. The shot fell fore and 
aft and alongside, throwing up columns of spray. 



Stephen Decatur. 2 1 3 

Only one struck the target, making a hole through 
her topsail. No lives were lost and only four men 
were wounded. The wind fortunately filled her sails, 
and aided by the powerful arms of the rowers who 
propelled the oars, the Intrepid was soon out of reach 
of the batteries, and another chapter was added to the 
daring deeds of America's naval heroes. Lord Nelson, 
then commanding the English fleet off Toulon, char- 
acterized the exploit as " the most bold and daring act 
of the age." 

For this gallant and romantic achievement Lieu- 
tenant Decatur was promoted to the rank of post- 
captain, there being at the time no intermediate 
grade. This promotion was made with the consent 
of the officers over whose heads he was raised, and 
was thus especially gratifying to the recipient. 

When the attack on Tripoli was planned by Com- 
modore Preble in the spring of 1805, Captain Decatur 
was given command of one of the divisions made up 
from the gun-boats loaned by the King of Naples, and 
Lieutenant Somers commanded the other division. 

The account of this naval battle is oriven at leno-th 
in the sketch of Commodore Preble ; the part person- 
ally taken by Decatur will properly belong to this 
sketch. 

Captain Decatur was in the leading boat of the 
assaulting line, and when he came within range of the 
batteries a heavy fire was opened upon him along the 
entire line, as well as from the enemy's gun-boats. 



214 American Naval Heroes. 

The commodore seeing the danger, endeavored to 
order Captain Decatur to retreat, but found no such 
signal in the code in use. He therefore con- 
tinued to advance till the opposing gun-boats came 
in contact. The crews were equal in numbers, 
about forty men being on each boat. Decatur had 
thirteen Neapolitans and twenty-seven Americans, 
and as he led his men to the deck of the enemy 
his countrymen were prompt to support him, but the 
Neapolitans remained behind. The Turks, however, 
did not maintain the hand to hand combat with the 
firmness for which they had gained a reputation. 
Decatur had the deck of the enemy in ten minutes. 
Eight of the Turks took refuge in the hold, and the 
rest were either dead upon the deck or had jumped 
into the sea. Of the Americans only three were 
wounded. 

As Decatur was about to withdraw with his prize 
he learned of the death of his brother, Lieutenant 
James Decatur, through the treachery of the captain 
of a boat who, after striking his flag to the American, 
shot his captor as he stepped on board his prize. 

Captain Decatur finding that the cowardly Turk 
had escaped with his gun-boat, pushed within the 
enemy's line with his single boat determined to 
avenge the death of a brother so basely murdered. 
He reached the side of the vessel at the head of 
eleven men, all the Americans he had left, and for 
twenty minutes maintained a doubtful contest. All 



StepJieii Decatur. 215 

the Americans but four were now severely wounded, 
and Decatur, signalling out the murderer of his brother, 
made him the particular object of his vengence. 

The Turk was armed with an espontoon, Decatur 
with a cutlass, and in attempting to cut off the head of 
the weapon of his antagonist, his sword struck on the 
iron and broke close to the hilt. As the Turk closed 
on him he was slightly wounded in the right arm and 
breast by the spear which he seized and both combat- 
ants fell to the deck, Decatur being on top. With this 
the Turk drew a dagger from his belt and as he raised 
it to plunge it into the brave captain's breast Decatur 
caught his arm and drawing a pistol shot him dead. 

While the respective commanders were thus 
engaged the crews had rushed to their aid and 
between the opposing sides a sanguinary conflict took 
place. As Decatur tried to rise he found himself 
pinned down by the killed and wounded who had fal- 
len around him. One heroic American tar who had 
lost the use of both hands, seeing his captain as- 
saulted from behind by a treacherous enemy, and 
about to receive a blow upon his head from an up- 
lifted sabre that must have been fatal, rushed between 
him and the weapon and received the blow upon his 
own head. Fortunately the heroic sailor was not 
fatally injured and he was afterward pensioned by 
the government. 

Decatur succeeded in getting both his prizes to 
the squadron and received the thanks of Commodore 



2 1 6 American Naval Heroes. 

Preble in general orders. When that officer was 
superseded in the command of the squadron he gave 
the Constitution to Captain Decatur who had received 
his commission to date from February i6, 1804, the 
day on which he destroyed the Philadelphia. 

He was transferred from the Constitution to the 
Congress and when peace was concluded with Tripoli 
he returned in the latter vessel to the United States. 

He superseded Commodore Barron in the com- 
mand of the Chesapeake and was in charge of the 
southern squadron until the United States was again 
put in commission when he was assigned to that frigate. 

His next engagement was in the war of 18 12 
when his frig-ate was one of the fleet which under 
Commodore Rodgers had sailed from New York on a 
second cruise. He parted company with the fleet 
October 12, 181 2, and on the 17th captured the 
British packet Swallow with a quantity of specie on 
board. On the 25th the United States made a large 
sail which proved to be a British frigate which opened 
fire. Then began a series of manoeuvering which 
tested the skill of the navigators of both ships, and 
this with occasional broadsides from each ship as she 
gained the advantage by tacking and wearing, con- 
sumed an hour, the Englishman suffering heavily 
while her own fire inflicted little damage to the 
United States. 

Another broadside from the American brought 
down over the lee of the English frigate her 



Stephen Decatur. 2 1 7 

•mizzen mast, which had been shot away about ten feet 
above the deck. Captain Decatur now directed his 
guns to destroy the remaining masts and rigging and 
the forecourse was soon in ribands, the fore and main 
topmasts went over the side, the main-yard was cut 
away and hung in the shngs, and the foremast was 
tottering, leaving her almost unmanageable. With 
his men manning the larboard guns the United States 
filled her mizzentopsail, and as she tacked, the enemy, 
supposing it to be a movement toward running away, 
gave three cheers and set a union jack in the main 
rigging, all the other flags having come down with 
the destruction of the masts and spars. As the 
United States \u^ed up to close, their exultation ceased 
and the union jack came down. Captain Decatur then 
crossed the stern of the stranger and demanded the 
name of the antagonist, and if she had struck. To 
this the reply came that the frigate was the Macedon- 
ian, 38 guns, Captain Carden, and that she had struck 
and was ready to receive her captor on board. 

On taking possession of the vessel Captain 
Decatur found that the Macedonian had received no 
less than one hundred round shot in her hull and was 
fearfully cut to pieces. She had three hundred men on 
board of which number thirty-six had been killed in 
the engagement and sixty-eight wounded. The ship 
was two years old and one of the finest frigates in the 
British navy commanded by Captain John S. Carden, 
one of the ablest officers. She was in prime order and 



2 1 8 American Naval Heroes. 

but four months out of dock. She mounted 49 guns, 
18 on her gun-deck and 32-pound carronades above. 

The United States suffered comparatively Httle, 
losine four killed and seven wounded, and her hull 
and rigging was in condition to continue the cruise 
without many repairs. 

Commodore Decatur received Captain Carden on 
board and when that officer presented his sword the 
gallant conqueror made a gesture of protest and 
remarked : 

" I cannot think, captain, of taking the sword of an 
officer who has defended his ship so gallantly, but 
should be happy to take you, sir, by the hand." 

Commodore Decatur convoyed his prize home in 
safety although the ocean was swarming with British 
ships. She was received in the port of Newport, 
R. I., under command of Lieutenant William H. Allen, 
where she was partially repaired. She then went to 
New York and passed to the command of Captain 
Jacob Jones, and the United States being again ready 
for sea, in the latter part of May, 18 13, in company 
with the sloop-of-war Hornet, Lieutenant Biddle, the 
three vessels proceeded to sea by way of Long Island 
sound. They were blockaded in the harbor of New 
London, Conn., by the British squadron under Sir 
Thomas Hardy of the Ramilies, 74 guns, and several 
other equally efficient men-of-war. 

Seeing no immediate possibility of getting to sea, 
the department ordered Decatur to the President^ 



Stephen Decatur. 219 

then in New York, and until recently the flag-ship 
of Commodore Rodgers. He got his ship under 
way on the morning of January 14, 18 15, and 
anchored within the Hook, having struck her false 
keel on the bar and otherwise sustained damage. 
Being still tight, he then stood to the east and being 
chased by a heavy frigate in a light wind, he was 
obliged to lighten ship by throwing overboard pro- 
visions, and to wet down her sails. The stranger 
was accompanied by a considerable fleet, and all 
hope of escape had vanished when he conceived the 
bold plan of closing and boarding the enemy, and by 
obtaining possession of the better ship to increase 
his chances of escape. 

On calling the men to quarters all greeted him 
with hearty cheers as he disclosed his plans and an 
eye-witness on board thus records the scene : 

" It was truly astonishing to see the cool delib- 
erate courage and cheerfulness that prevailed among 
the ofificers and crew, in the face of an enemy more 
than four times their force. From this you may con- 
ceive what we would have done had we anything like 
an equal force to contend with. Every arrangement 
was now made to close with the leading ship which 
had at this time ranged up nearly within pistol-shot. 
Our brave commodore placed himself at the head of 
the boarders. At 5.00 p. m. we wore short around 
with the intention of laying him on board, but as if 
he had anticipated our design, he immediately wore 



2 20 American Naval Heroes. 

and hauled to the wind, fearing to close, although the 
whole squadron was coming up fast. He having 
the wind it was impossible for us to close for board- 
ing. We then opened fire and in fifteen minutes his 
sails were very much cut up. 

" Both ships now falling off they continued engag- 
ing before the wind for an hour and a half in which 
time his spcirs, sails and rigging were literally cut to 
pieces, and his fire nearly silenced, only firing single 
guns at long intervals. We now quit him and in 
hauling up, had to expose ourselves to a raking fire, 
but he was so much cut up that he could not avail 
himself of the advantage, and only fired three or four 
shots ; we then, astonishing to relate, went out of 
action with every sail set and soon left our antagonist 
out of sight. We were now going off with everything 
set, our damage but trifling, canvas all wet again, and 
began almost to flatter ourselves on the probability 
of escaping. 

" Had thick weather set in, of which there was every 
appearance, no doubt but we should have succeeded. 
On the contrary it continued fine, and the three other 
ships were plainly discernible, making their night sig- 
nals. Two in particular were nearing us fast, as the 
concussipn of our guns had destroyed the wind, 
whereas they were bringing up the breeze with 
them. 

" About two hours from the time we had left the 
ship we had engaged, one of the enemy had approached 



Stephen Decatur. 221 

within half gun-shot, the other taking a raking posi- 
tion. 

"■ Being now assailed by so superior a force with- 
out any probability of escape, our brave commodore 
with great reluctance, being dictated by motives of 
humanity, ordered a signal of surrender to be made, 
notwithstanding which, they continued to fire into us 
for more than fifteen minutes through mistake." 

On the restoration of order it was found by Com- 
modore Decatur that he had struck to the British 
frigate Majestic and that the vessel he had so badly 
used up was the E7idyi7iio7i, 40 guns, a 24-pounder 
frigate, while the third was the Pomo7ie, 38 guns, and 
the fourth the Tenedos, also 38 guns. 

In the lone and close cannonade the Pj^esidejit lost 
twenty-four killed and fifty-six wounded and was 
badly injured in her hull and spars. 

Among the slain were Lieutenants Fitz-Henry, 
Babbitt, Hamilton and Howell. First Lieutenant 
Babbitt was a native of Massachusetts, and had been 
once captured. He was standing on the coamings of 
the after-hatch, working the ship, and Commodore 
Decatur was seated on the hammock-cloths giving 
directions, when the Endymions first broadside was 
received. A twenty-four-pound shot struck Lieu- 
tenant Babbitt in the knee and he fell down the hatch, 
fracturing his skull by the fall and dying within half an 
hour. An order was sent for Second Lieutenant John 
Templar Shubrick of South Carolina to take the 



222 American Naval Heroes. 

trumpet dropped by his unfortunate senior officer. 
As he was passing aft along the gun-deck he asked 
Third Lieutenant Hamilton, son of Paul Hamilton, the 
former Secretary of the Navy, who commanded the 
after-guns and who was his townsman, how he 
was getting on. While making a cheerful reply 
Lieutenant Hamilton was nearly cut in two by a 
heavy shot. Fourth Lieutenant Howell, a son of 
Governor Howell of New Jersey, was killed on the 
quarter-deck by a spent grape-shot which fractured 
his skull. 

The President was carried to Bermuda and both 
she and the Endymioji were dismasted in a gale 
before reaching port, the latter vessel being obliged 
to throw overboard her upper-deck guns. 

Commodore Decatur was paroled and arrived at 
New London, February 22, 18 15, in the frigate N^ar- 
cissus. Captain Gordon. On landing, the populace 
placed him in a carriage and removing the horses, 
drew him through the principal streets amid the 
applause of the thousands assembled to greet the 
hero, and in the evening a ball was given in honor of 
the hero, of the conclusion of peace, and of the birth- 
day of Washington, in which the British and American 
naval officers and the citizens joined. A court of in- 
quiry was called, and he with all his surviving officers 
were acquitted of any blame for the loss of the President. 

On the declaration of war with the Barbary powers, 
February 23, 18 15, Congress determined to send two 



Stephen Decatur. 223 

squadrons to the Mediterranean, one from Boston 
under command of Commodore Bainbridge and the 
other from New York under Commodore Decatur, 
with Bainbridge as commander-in-chief of the united 
squadron. 

Decatur hoisted his broad pennant on the Giier- 
riere, 44 guns. Captain Lewis, and the remaining ves- 
sels of his fleet were as follows: the Constellation, 
36 guns. Captain Charles Gordon ; the Macedonian, 
36 guns, Captain Jacob Jones ; frigates ; the sloop- 
of-war Ontario, 22 guns. Commander Jesse D.Elliott; 
the brig Epervier, 18 guns. Lieutenant-commander 
John Downs; the brig Firefly, 14 guns. Lieutenant- 
commander George W. Rodgers ; the brig Flambeau, 
12 guns. Lieutenant-commander J. B. Nicholson; 
the brig Spark, 12 guns, Lieutenant-commander T. 
Gamble ; the schooner Spitfire, 1 1 guns, Lieutenant- 
commander A. J. Dallas ; and the schooner Torch, 
10 guns. Lieutenant-commander W. Chauncey. 

This squadron sailed from New York, May 20, 
1815. On June 15th he touched at Tangiers where 
he learned from the American consul that the Algerine 
admiral had sailed for Carthagena, and he followed for 
that port. On June 17th when off Cape de Gatte a 
large vessel was discovered, and it proved to be an 
Algerine frigate. The Guej^riere ran close alongside 
so as to decide the combat at close action, a method of 
warfare which had been generally adopted by Decatur. 
In doing it the Algerine poured an effective discharge 



224 American Naval Heroes. 

of musketry upon the deck of the Gtierriere and 
four Americans were wounded. Decatur retained his 
fire and steadily hekl his course until his whole broad- 
side could bear. 

Then ensued one of those terrific discharges for 
which the American ships had become famous and 
which had commenced and decided so many bloody 
encounters at sea. It produced deadly havoc on 
board the Algerine, and was but feebly answered. 
Another equally effective broadside followed which 
drove the men from their guns, and they sought safety 
below. A few brave fellows in the rigging kept up 
the fire from their muskets, and the sailing-master 
made an effort to wear his ship out of danger. To 
prevent this the Epervier came up and Commander 
Downes poured in a broadside which put a stop to 
the effort to escape, and Commodore Decatur took 
possession of the prize. 

It proved to be the frigate Mashouda, 46 guns, 
with four hundred and fifty men, commanded by 
Admiral Rais Hammida, the ranking officer in the 
navy of the Bey of Algiers. The admiral was killed 
early in the action and his death evidently greatly 
discouraged the crew. The contest was determined 
in twenty-five minutes, and thirty were killed on the 
enemy's ship and thrown overboard while four hundred 
and six of the crew were made prisoners. The explo- 
sion of a gun on the main deck of the Giierriere dur- 
ing the broadside firing, killed five men and badly 



Stephen Decatur. 225 

wounded and burned about thirty, and this loss was 
greater than the total casualties caused by the fire of 
the enemy. The Macedonian convoyed the prize into 
Carthagenia. The fleet soon after captured the Bstedio, 
22 guns and one hundred and eight men, after a resist- 
ance that cost the lives of twenty-three Turks killed 
and eighty prisoners, and she too was carried into 
Carthagenia. Before leaving the United States, Com- 
modores Bainbridge and Decatur, and William Shaler, 
consul-general from United States to the Barbary 
powers, had been appointed commissioners to negoti- 
ate a treaty of peace with the Bey of Algiers. 

The Algerine fleet, learning of the presence of so 
large an American force in the Mediterranean, had 
taken refuge in Malta, and Commodore Decatur 
decided that it would be a promising time to appear 
before Algiers and try to effect a negotiation for peace. 

As Mr. Shaler was on board the Guejn^iere a ma- 
jority of the commissioners were competent to act, and 
without waiting for Commodore Bainbridge the squad- 
ron anchored in the bay of Algiers, June 28th, much to 
the surprise of the Bey, who had not learned of the 
death of Admiral Hammida or of the loss of the 
MasJioitda. He sent the captain of the port and the 
Swedish consul on board, and to them Decatur de- 
livered the letter from the President of the United 
States reciting the grievances of the government and 
the hope of an amicable settlement of the difficulties 
between the two countries. The captain of the port 



2 26 A7nericaii N^aval Heroes. 

was also informed of the casualties to the Algerine 
navy and the prisoners on board readily confirmed 
the report. The Bey invited the commissioners to 
visit him in his palace and there to make a final settle- 
ment. 

Decatur, apprehending" that the purpose of the 
Bey was to delay the matter and gain time, decided 
to avoid such a condition and to that end advised the 
captain of the port and the Swedish consul who were 
authorized to act for the Bey, that the negotiations 
must be conducted on board the Guei^riere. At the 
same time he submitted the draft of a treaty to which 
they demanded Immediate assent as the stipulations 
would not be essentially altered. 

The captain of the port asked for a cessation of 
hostilities while negotiations were going on. Decatur 
promptly replied, 

" Not a minute ; if your squadron appears in sight 
before the treaty is effectually signed by the Bey, and 
sent off with the American prisoners, ours ivill cap- 
ture itr 

While the agents of the Bey were on shore with 
the treaty to obtain the signature of the Bey, an Alger- 
ine corsair hove in sight, and true to his word that 
hostilities should not cease he ordered the squadron to 
give chase to the Corsair. This movement put wings 
to the messengers and they soon re-appeared with 
a white flag, the signal agreed upon when the treaty 
should be signed. Decatur then called off the chase. 



Stephen Decahir. 227 

The treaty thus secured provided that no further 
tribute be paid by the United States, that no Ameri- 
cans should be enslaved, that all American vessels 
should be treated hospitably and their wants relieved 
in any Algerine port, and that neutrality of Algerine 
ports should be maintained in case of war, terms 
never obtained from any of the Barbary powers by 
any of the great nations of Europe. 

The captives held by the Bey were released and 
sent on board the flag-ship, and the prizes sent into 
Carthagenia were restored to the Bey as a peace 
offerinor. 

o 

The Bey's prime minister revealed a little of the 
secret history of his despotic court in his remark to the 
British consul while their negotiations were going on 

" You told us," said he, " that the Americans would 
be swept from the seas in six months by your navy, 
and now they make war upon us, with some of your 
own vessels which they have taken from you." 

The treaty was dispatched to the United States by 
the brig Epcrvier, Lieutenant John Temple Shurbrick, 
the first lieutenant of the Guerriere. Captain Lewis, 
commander of the Guerriere, desiring to return home, 
obtained leave of absence and sailed on the Epervier, 
and the other officers on board were Lieutenants 
Neale, Yarnall and Drury and the officers and men 
who had just been rescued from Algerine servitude. 
The Epervier was last seen as she passed Gibraltar 
about July 12, 18 15, and a brig resembling her was 



2 28 Ainerica7i Naval Heroes. 

afterward seen by a British West India fleet, during a 
heavy gale, but no distinct information could be 
gained respecting her. 

Decatur proceeded to visit the other Barbary 
states and to right the wrongs of American seamen and 
citizens. On the 26th of July he appeared in the bay 
of Tunis and M. M. Noah, the American consul, laid 
before him a report of the outrages practiced against 
Americans. His action was prompt. He demanded 
full indemnity within twelve hours under penalty of a 
declaration of war and an immediate attack. Consul 
Noah thus relates the interview with the Bey when 
admitted to an audience and after he had presented 
the ultimatum of Commodore Decatur. \ 

"Tell your admiral to come and see me," said the 
Bey. 

" He declines coming, your Highness, until these 
disputes are settled, which are best done on shipboard." 

"But this is not treating me with becoming dig- 
nity. Humuda Pasha, of blessed memory, com- 
manded them to land, and wait at the palace until he 
was pleased to receive them." 

" Very likely, your Highness, but that was twenty 
years ago." 

After a pause the Bey exclaimed : 

" I know this admiral ; he is the same one who, 
in the war with Sida Yusef of Trablis, burnt the 
frio-ate." 

" The same." 



Stephen Decatur. 2 29 

" Hum ! why do they send wild young men to treat 
for peace with old powers ? Then you Americans do not 
speak the truth. You went to war with England, a na- 
tion with a great fleet, and said you took their frigates 
in equal fight. Honest people always speak truth." 

" Well, sir, that was true. Do you see that tall 
ship in the bay, with a blue flag, the Gucrriere taken 
from the British. That one near the small island, the 
Macedonian was also captured by Decatur on equal 
terms. The sloop near Cape Carthage, the Peacock, 
was also taken in battle." 

The Bey laid down his telescope, reposed on his 
cushions, and with a small tortoise-shell comb set with 
diamonds, combed his beard. A small vessel got under 
way and came near the batteries ; a pinnace with a few 
men moved toward the harbor, and one person dressed 
in the garb of a sailor, was taking soundings. It was 
Decatur. 

The result of this interview was that Decatur 
landed, paid his respects to the Bey, and received in 
the presence of the owners of the vessels and cargoes 
taken by the English brig-of-war Lyra, while in the 
harbor, during the war with the United States, the 
sum of forty-six thousand dollars. 

This matter ended, Decatur, on the 5th of August, 
appeared before the stern old batteries of Tripoli 
with his whole fleet. Here he had another wrong to 
right. The Abellino had also taken two prizes in this 
port, under the impression that neutrality was enforced. 



230 Aniericaji Naval Heroes. 

These the British brig Paulina cut out under the eyes 
of the bashaw. 

Decatur made his usual demand, which was at first 
boldly refused. In fact the bashaw ordered out his 
cavalry which he paraded on the shore, and manned 
his batteries, making all show of intended resistance 
to their demand. 

Decatur disposed his fleet for a regular attack, and 
seeine this, and with vivid recollections of the watch- 
word of the American sailors under the same com- 
mander, when with " Remember the Philadelphia " 
they defeated the Tripolitan fieet and conquered a 
peace now about to be broken by his own act, the 
bashaw accepted the terms offered, paid over to 
Decatur twenty-five thousand dollars and gave assur- 
ances of better conduct. 

Commodore Bainbridge arrived in the Mediter- 
ranean early in August, 18 15, and Decatur's squadron, 
with the exception of the flagship, joined his fleet while 
Decatur in the Guci'riere landed some rescued cap- 
tives at a port in Sicily, made a leisurely cruise, and in 
October rejoined Bainbridge at Gibraltar, where was 
assembled the largest fleet ever gathered under the 
American flag, including the man-of-war Independence, 
the frigates United States, Congress, Constellation, 
Macedo7iian and Guerriere, two sloops of war, seven 
brigs and three schooners. 

Decatur was ordered home with the Guerriere, and 
arrived in New York, November 12, 18 15. 



Stephen Decatur. 2 3 1 

In 18 19 James Barron, before the war of 181 2 a 
conspicuous officer in the American navy, and during 
that war absent from the United States, apphed to 
the navy department for reinstatement. This was 
opposed by Commodore Decatur, who gave it as his 
opinion that Barron had rendered himself unworthy 
of a station in the navy, and of the privilege of honor- 
able service. A long correspondence ensued resulting 
in a challenge from Barron to Decatur, Commodore 
Elliott acted as Barron's second, and Commodore 
Bainbridge performed the same office for Decatur. 
The parties met on a field near Bladensburg, a short 
distance from Washington, D. C, March 22, 1820. 

When ready to fire Barron said to Decatur: 

" I hope on meeting in another world we shall be 
better friends." 

Decatur replied, " I have never been your enemy, 
sir." 

Commodore Bainbridge gave the word to fire. 
Both pistols went off at the same instant, and the two 
antagonists fell. 

Barron was severely wounded in the hip and 
Decatur received a mortal wound in the abdomen. 

As the two heroes of so many sanguinary sea- 
fights with the enemies of their country, lay on the 
ground and each thought himself on the field of death, 
Decatur exclaimed : 

" I am mortally wounded, at least I believe so, and 
wish I had fallen in defence of my country," 



2^2 



Americmt Naval Hej'oes. 



Barron also believing himself about to die said, 
" I forgive my enemy from the bottom of my heart." 
Decatur was removed to his home in Washington 

and lingered in great agony till half-past ten in the 

evening when he expired. 

Of the forty-two years of his life he had spent 

twenty-two in the naval service of his country, from 

the date of his midshipman warrant, April 30, 1798, 

the date of his death, March 22, 1820. 



XVII. 

WILLIAM BAINBRIDGE. 

" li I had thought at that moment that I could save the ships by telling you 
that they carried 24-pounders I should have done so." — Bainbridge to Captain 
St. Laurent. 

William Bainbridge, who won a full share of the 
honors gained by the American navy, was born in 
Princeton, N. J., May 7, 1774. His father, Dr. 
Absalom Bainbridge, was a physician of wealth and 
distinction in Princeton and his great-great-grand- 
father was Sir Arthur Bainbridge of England, whose 
son immigrated to America and settled in New Jersey. 

While but a mere child his parents removed to 
New York city, and he was placed under the care of 
his maternal grandfather, John Taylor, of Monmouth 
county, where he was trained for mercantile pursuits. 
He found work in a counting house in New York city 
when sixteen years old but soon removed with his 
grandfather to Philadelphia, where he was appren- 
ticed to a shipping firm. Miller and Murray, to serve 
for a certain term without indenture and free of 
expense. 

In their employ he made several voyages and 
was soon made mate of the ship Hope, which vessel 
while on a voyage to Holland, encountered a violent 



William Bainbridge. 235 

gale, during which the crew mutinied, and seizing the 
captain nearly succeeded in throwing him overboard, 
when young Bainbridge hearing the alarm ran on 
deck armed with an old pistol without a lock, and with 
the assistance of an apprentice boy and an Irish sailor 
who was an old shipmate, rescued the captain, seized 
the ring-leaders, and quelled the mutiny. When nine- 
teen years old he commanded a ship in the Dutch 
trade. 

In 1796 when in command of the ship Hope on his 
way from Bordeaux to St. Thomas, he had an engage- 
ment with a British schooner of 8 guns and thirty-five 
men, commanded by a sailing master of the British 
navy. The Hope had an armament of 4 small car- 
riage guns and a crew of nine men. After a short 
action the schooner was compelled to strike her colors. 

War not existing between the two countries, and 
as he was only defending his own ship, Captain Bain- 
bridge could not take possession of his prize, but hail- 
ing the captain he said, 

" Go about your business now, and report to your 
masters that if they want my ship, they must send a 
greater force and a more skilful commander to take 
her." 

The schooner lost several men in killed and 
wounded, while the Hope met with no loss. 

Soon afterward one of his seamen was impressed by 
Lieutenant Norton of the British razee Iiidefatigable, 
who boarded the Hope to search for deserters. After 



236 American Naval Heroes. 

an ineffectual attempt to carry off the first mate, he 
seized this man and despite the remonstrance of Cap- 
tain Bainbridge carried him off. 

In his indignation Captain Bainbridge assured the 
Heutenant that he would supply the place of the sailor 
from some British ship at the first opportunity, and 
the lieutenant taunted him with the reply "You 
dare not." 

The very next merchantman the Hope encoun- 
tered was brought to, and Captain Bainbridge boarded 
and took out of her crew the best seaman she had 
on board, directing the English captain to report 
" William Bainbridge had taken one of His Majesty's 
subjects in retaliation for a seaman taken from the 
American ship Hope by Lieutenant Norton of the 
Indefatigabley 

In 1798 he was commissioned lieutenant-com- 
mandant of the United States Navy and was given 
command of the schooner Retail atioii.^iorvix^xXy the 
French ship Croyablc, 14 guns, captured off the Del- 
aware by the Constellation, Captain Truxton, and the 
Delaware, Captain Stephen Decatur, Sr. Early in the 
morning of November 20, 1798, while cruising in 
company with the Moritezuina and the Norfolk, Lieu- 
tenant Bainbridge was attacked by two French 
frigates, the Volontaire and the Insurgente. The 
Retaliation was captured by the Insugente, and Lieu- 
tenant Bainbridge was carried to Guadaloupe on the 
Volontaire. The captain of the French ship refused 



William Bainbridge. 237 

to receive his sword, and with the other American 
officers he was allowed to go to the topgallant fore- 
castle to watch the pursuit of the Moiiteszcma and the 
Norfolk by the Insiu'-gente, 36 guns. 

Just as the chase had resulted in the overhauling 
of the two Americans, and as the hisurgente was in 
position to open fire Captain St. Laurent of the Vol- 
ontaire turned to Lieutenant Bainbridge and said, 

" Pray, sir, ivhat is the force of those vessels?" 

Bainbridge replied, without a moment's hesitation, 
and in a way that carried conviction of truthfulness, 

"The ship carries twenty-eight 12-pounders and 
the brig twenty 9-pounders." 

This was in reality more than double their arma- 
ment, and in great fright the French captain, who was 
the commander of the fleet, fearing the loss of his 
ship in so unequal a combat, signalled the Insurgente 
to withdraw. 

The captain of the Insurgente was surprised at the 
order, and when he reached the Volontaire he asked 
for an explanation, asserting that in ten minutes more 
both ships would have been his. 

Captain St. Laurent gave answer, 

" Citizen Captain, do you not know, sir, what ves- 
sels you were chasing? Your ship is not able to 
contend with a force of twenty-eight 12-pounders and 
twenty 9-pounders." 

The Insurgente s captain could not contain his 
indignation as he replied, 



238 American Naval Heroes. 

"Sir, they have nothing heavier than sixes, and do 
you suppose that the hisurgejite had anything to fear 
from such toy guns ? " 

At this Captain St. Laurent turned indignantly to 
Bainbridge, who could scarcely maintain his compo- 
sure, and said, 

" Did you not say, sir, that the ship carried twenty- 
eight i2-pounders and the brig twenty 9-pounders ? " 

Bainbridge replied promptly and earnestly, 

" Yes, sir, and if I had thought at that moment 
that I could have saved the ship by telling you that 
they carried 24-pounders, I should have done so." 

On reaching Guadaloupe he was imprisoned, and 
remained on the island for three months, during 
which time General Desforneaux, who had arrived 
in the Volontaire to succeed Victor Hughes as gov- 
ernor, urged Lieutenant Bainbridge to resume com- 
mand of the Retaliation and to return in her to the 
United States. Bainbridge saw in this a scheme to 
cover up the greater wrongs perpetrated on captured 
Americans by the French government, and that while 
releasing a small ship and invaluable cargo, the gov- 
ernment were retaining rich prizes, and that instead 
of treating captured crews as prisoners of war they 
were treating them as criminals. 

Finally the. governor gave him a declaration that 
he had been obliged by force to resume the command 
of his vessel, and with a crew reduced to forty men. 
With this justification for his government Lieutenant 



William Baiiibridge. 239 

Bainbridge sailed for the United States in company 
with two flags of truce. On board the Retaliation 
were a number of American prisoners whose release 
he had effected through the anxiety of the governor 
to conciliate the American people now thoroughly 
incensed at the conduct of the French government. 

Bainbridge's report to Congress caused the pas- 
sage of the " Retaliation Act." He reached home in 
February, 1799, when his exchange was effected, and 
he was commissioned master-commandant, and sailed 
on the brig Norfolk, 18 guns, on a second cruise to 
the West Indies, where he reported to Commodore C. 
R. Perry. While in that service he captured the French 
ship Republican, and destroyed several other vessels. 

When he returned to the United States he received 
a captain's commission and sailed for Algiers in May, 
1800, in command of the United States frigate Georo^e 
Washington to carry tribute to the Dey and was forced 
by that potentate to carry to the Ottoman Porte an 
ambassador, who was the custodian of presents 
from the Dey to the Sultan. The frigate anchored 
at the lower end of Constantinople, November 
II, 1800, and the next morning the American flag 
was hoisted at the mizzen, the Algerian at the main. 
Soon afterwards three officers in succession were sent 
on board by the grand seignior, to inquire what ship 
that was and what colors she had hoisted. 

They were told it was an American frigate and 
an American flag, and they then asked where America 



240 American Naval Hei-oes. 

was, as they did not know of any such country. 

Captain Bainbridge then explained that America 
was the New World, and by this name they had some 
idea of the country. The ship was allowed to come 
into the harbor, when Captain Bainbridge saluted the 
grand seignior's palace with twenty-one guns and 
proceeded to unload the Algerine cargo. 

The frigate was oblio-ed to await the arrival of the 
high admiral from Egypt before the Algerine ambas- 
sador could have his audience, and Captain Bainbridge 
employed the interval in giving the Turkish govern- 
ment a favorable impression of America, as his ship 
and crew were the first representatives that had ever 
entered that port. With his long boat he made an 
excursion to the Black Sea, taking as guests the 
foreign ministers and such civilized Europeans as he 
had met in Constantinople. In this way, he was the 
first to carry the American flag on this great inland 
water. On returning he gave a dinner, and upon the 
four corners of the table he placed decanters contain- 
ing fresh water from the four quarters of the globe- 
He had natives of Europe, Asia, Africa and America 
as his guests, and had flesh, fruit, bread and other 
viands from the several countries represented, pre- 
sening to each guest as a souvenir on leaving the 
table, a sample of each article. 

While the Algerine ambassador was spurned by 
the Capudon pasha, or high admiral, and refused 
an audience, Captain Bainbridge was received with 



William Bainb ridge. 241 

distinguished honor and politeness. He took the frig- 
ate under his immediate protection, requested Captain 
Bainbridge to haul down the Algerian flag and carry the 
American, and expressed a high opinion of America's 
navy. This mission paved the way for the first treaty 
between the United States and Turkey. 

He returned to Algiers, arriving January 21, 1801, 
and anchored at a safe distance from the city, where 
he finally exacted a reluctant promise from the ruler 
that he would not compel him to return. He was 
summoned into the Dey's presence where, as a biog- 
rapher says, " he was received with a scowling and 
vindictive expression of countenance, which soon 
burst forth in a rage so ungovernable, as to threaten 
personal violence. It occurred to him that unless the 
'firman' which the Capudan pasha at Constantinople 
had given him, would save him, his moments were 
numbered. The paper was accordingly presented, 
which acted like a talisman by transforming in an 
instant the countenance of a ferocious blood-thirsty 
tyrant, into that of a mild, humble, and even crouching 
dependent." The Dey was compelled by the sultan 
to declare war against France, the French consul 
and all the French subjects then in Algiers were 
ordered to leave the country in forty-eight hours, 
and they were taken on board the George Washing- 
ton by Captain Bainbridge. The Dey liberated some 
four hundred Venetians, Maltese and Sicilians by an 
order brought by Bainbridge from the Sultan. 



242 American A^aval Heroes. 

His report of this enforced errand is as follows : 
"The Dey of Algiers soon after my arrival made a 
demand that the United States ship should carry an 
ambassador to Constantinople together with upwards 
of two hundred Turkish passengers. Every effort 
was made by me to evade this demand, but it availed 
nothing. The light in which the chief of this regency 
looks upon the people of the United States may be 
inferred from his remark : 

" ' You payme tribute by which you become my 
slaves ; I have therefore a right to order you as I may 
think proper.' 

" I have no alternative left but compliance or a re- 
newal of hostilities against our commerce. I hope I will 
never again be sent to Algiers with tribute unless I am 
authorized to deliver it at the mouth of our cannon." 

He sailed from Algiers the last of January, 1801, 
and after landing the French passangers at Alicant, he 
arrived in Philadelphia in April, and received from the 
state department and from the President much praise 
for the unpleasant and delicate service he had so 
diplomatically managed. He was retained as one of 
the nine captains in the re-organization caused by the 
reduction, after the hostilities with France had ceased, 
and in June he resumed command of the frigate Essex 
and was attached to the squadron commanded by 
Commodore Richard Dale, sent out by the United 
States to cruise against the Barbary States and pre- 
vent any further outrages. 



William Bainbridge. 243 

He sailed to Gibraltar, appearing off Algiers, Tunis 
and Tripoli, and early in 1802 cruised in different parts 
of the Mediterranean. In July, 1802, he returned to 
New York and afterward superintended the building 
of the brig Syren and the schooner Vixen. 

In May, 1803, he was given command of the 
frigate Philadelphia, 44 guns, presented to the gov- 
ernment by the citizens of Philadelphia, and cruised 
in the Mediterranean under Commodore Preble in 
search of Tripolitan corsairs. In August of the same 
year he captured the Moorish cruiser Meshboha, of 22 
guns and one hundred and twenty men. 

The Philadelphia was driven from her station 
before the harbor of Tripoli by a strong westerly gale, 
and on returning, October 31, 1804, Captain Bain- 
bridge discovered, when not many leagues to the east 
of the town, a strange ship, and immediately gave 
chase. The stranger kept close to the shore and 
headed for Tripoli harbor. 

The Philadelphia followed but dared not venture 
closer than the seven-fathom line as marked on the 
chart. She kept up a continual fire and when Bain- 
bridge found that it was impossible to cut the chase 
off from the harbor he gave up the pursuit and headed 
the "ship directly off shore at a speed of six or seven 
knots. When about four and a half miles from the 
town she ran upon some rocks, the continuation of a 
reef extending to the eastward, but not laid down on 
the charts on board. 



244 American Naval Heroes. 

In order to lighten the ship some of the guns were 
thrown overboard, the anchors were cast away from 
the bows, the water started, and the foremast cut 
away, but to no purpose as the ship was immovable 
and the tide falling. 

While in this position the Tripolitan gun-boats 
appeared and opened fire on the helpless frigate 
which was answered by the stern-chasers of the Phila- 
delphia, and this compelled the gun-boats to change 
their position. While the ship remained on an even 
keel the gunners of the Philadelphia could beat off 
their assailants, but soon she listed to one side so far 
that the guns were useless. 

After sustaining the fire of the constantly increas- 
ing Tripolitan fleet for six hours, a council of war 
of all the officers decided unanimously to destroy what 
they could of ammunition, arms, and articles of value, 
and after scuttling the ship and choking the pumps 
to haul down the flag and give up the ship. The 
programme agreed upon was carried out ; the mag- 
azine was flooded and at five o'clock the flag was 
struck and one of the boats sent under a flag of 
truce to inform the enemy that the ship could make 
no further resistance. 

Before they reached the shore the boat-crew under 
Lieutenant Porter were robbed of their valuables by 
small boarding parties who paid no attention to the 
white flag they carried. 

On reaching the pasha's castle followed by a jost- 
lino- crowd they were received by his majesty seated in 



Willia77t Bauibridge. 245 

state with his ministers and chief officers about him 
and surrounded by a numerous guard. The three 
officers were invited to seats while the boat's crew 
stood back some distance. 

The pasha plied questions rapidly. 

" How many men are there on the Philadelphia f " 

" How many guns has she and how many of them 
are brass ?" 

" How much powder is on board ? " 

" How much money on the ship ? " 

" Where is Commodore Morris ? " 

" Where is the schooner Entei^prise ? " 

Three glasses of sherbet were brought, one for 
each officer, which they drank. 

When the Tripolitans took possession of the ship 
the scene of plunder experienced by the boat crew was 
repeated. They took from Captain Bainbridge his 
watch and epaulets and the cravat from his neck, 
and it was with much difficulty he retained posses- 
sion of a miniature of his wife. 

When he was brought into the castle the same 
questions were repeated by the pasha. The officers 
were placed under charge of the minister of foreign 
affairs, who conducted them to the house of the late 
American consul. They were entertained by the 
Danish consul, who arose from his bed, it beinp- one 
o'clock in the morning. He provided them with bed- 
ding, and they rested in comparative comfort. The 
next day the foreign minister requested the officers 



246 Afnerican Naval Heroes. 

to give their parole in order that he might in turn 
pledge his word for their safety. 

After two weeks had elapsed the pasha's min- 
ister informed Captain Bainbridge that letters had 
been received from the Tripolitans who had been 
captured by Captain Rodgers of the John Adams, 
complaining of ill treatment at the hands of the 
Americans, and Captain Bainbridge was requested to 
sign an order upon Commodore Preble to give up 
these Tripolitan prisoners. If he should refuse the 
minister had orders to retaliate upon the imprisoned 
officers off the Philadelphia. 

Captain Bainbridge peremtorily refused to sign 
the order, and thereupon they were conducted by a 
slave-driver to a prison, where the crew were already 
confined at work. The next day finding the threat 
to no purpose the minister apologized to Captain 
Bainbridge, and they were returned to the consular 
residence. 

On the 1 6th of February, 1804, when the Phila- 
delphia was burned by Lieutenant Decatur and a 
considerable number of the pasha's subjects lost their 
lives, the American officers were removed to small 
apartments in the castle with no window light, the air 
being admitted through a grating of iron covering a 
small opening at the top. The doors were bolted and 
a guard was placed in the hall as well as on the top of 
the building. They were released only on the sign- 
ing of the Treaty of Peace in June, 1805, having been 



William Bainbridge. 247 

confined in the prison for nineteen months. They 
reached the United States in the autumn of 1805, and 
Captain Bainbridge and his officers were received as 
returning conquerors, rather than as vanquished pris- 
oners. 

At the request of Captain Bainbridge a court of 
inquiry was instituted to consider the loss of the 
Philadelphia, and the court passed judgment as 
follows : 

"It is decidedly the opinion of the court that Cap- 
tain Bainbridge acted with fortitude and good conduct 
in the loss of the United States frigate Philadelphia, 
and that no degree of censure should attach itself to 
him for that event." 

He was ordered to the command of the New York 
naval station in 1806, and soon afterward obtained a 
furlough to undertake a voyage in the merchant ser- 
vice, in order to make provision for his family beyond 
the small pay allowed in the navy. 

After a successful voyage he returned to his sta- 
tion in 1807, and in 1808 was appointed to the Port- 
land station made vacant by the death of Commodore 
Preble. In December, 1808, he was called to Wash- 
ington to superintend the repairs of the frigate Presi- 
dent, to the command of which vessel he was appointed. 
He completed the repairs and sailed in July, 1809, 
cruising on the coast till the spring of 18 10, when he 
was again given leave to engage in the merchant ser- 
vice. He returned to duty in February, 18 12, and 



248 



Americari Naval Heroes. 



was made commandant of the Charlestown navy yard 
and of the United States force on the eastern station. 
When war was declared against Great Britain in 
1812, he was given the option of remaining at the 
navy yard or of commanding a ship in the proposed 
cruise against the enemy on the ocean. He chose to 
command the frigate Cojistellation, but when Captain 




Hornet Blockading the Bonne Citoyenne. 
From an old wood cut engraved in 1831. 

Hull reached Boston with the Constitution after his 
victory over the British frigate Guerrire, and applied 
for a furlough in order to arrange his private affairs, 
Commodore Bainbridge was assigned to the Consti- 
tution. 

In a few weeks he sailed in company with the 
sloop-of-war Hornet, Captain Lawrence, on a cruise to 
the East Indies. While running down the coast of 



William Bainbridge. 249 

Brazil and after having parted with the Hornet, which 
was left to blockade the Boiuie Citoyemie, he discovered 
on the morning" of Thursday, December 29, 181 2, two 
sail, one standing off shore toward him. He made sail 
to meet the stranger and as she did not answer his 
private signals he put out to sea, hoping to draw her 
off the neutral coast, which purpose his movement 
accomplished. About noon he hoisted his ensign 
and pendant and was answered by the English colors. 
Determining her to be a frigate he took in the royals, 
tacked, and stood for the enemy. 

The stranger at once bore down with a design to 
rake the Constitution, which that frigate avoided by 
wearing. This brought the enemy within half a mile 
to the windward with no flag flying, and the Co?isti- 
tution fired a gun across her bow to restore the flag to 
its place. He accompanied the salute with a broad- 
side which brought to sight the English colors and an 
answering broadside. The two frigates were within 
grape and cannister distance and the action became 
general. 

In a few minutes the wheel of the Constitution was 
shot away, and in half an hour as the enemy showed 
no disposition to close, Commodore Bainbridge 
determined, in spite of his disabled wheel, to risk 
being raked, and bring the issue to a speedy conclu- 
sion by fighting at close range. He therefore luffed 
up so close to the enemy that in passing, her jib-boom 
got foul of the Constitution's mizzen rigging. In 



250 



American Naval Heroes. 



this position the American frigate poured into the 
Englishman a well-directed fire, and in ten minutes the 
jib-boom of the enemy was shot away and with it part 
of the bowsprit. In five minutes more her foremast 
w^ent by the board, followed by her maiii topmast, and 
that by the gaft and spanker boom, when to add to the 




Constitution and Java. 
From an old wood-cut ejigraved in 1B3I. 

disaster the mizzenmast went down, lodging across 
the deck. The action had now lasted nearly two 
hours, the enemy's fire had ceased and her flag was 
down. 

Commodore Bainbridge supposing she had struck, 
shot ahead to repair his rigging. As he hove to 
for that purpose he saw her colors were still flying, 
although her mainmast had gone by the board. 



Williavi Bainbridge. 251 

He therefore bore down upon her, and when 
athwart her bows was about to rake her with a broad- 
side when her colors came down. The ship was an 
unmanageable wreck without a single mast or spar. 

On boarding her he found her to be the British 
frigate Java, 49 guns and four hundred men, Captain 
Lambert. The captain was mortally wounded, sixty 
of the men were dead and one hundred wounded 
besides the commodore. It being found impossible to 
carry the Java into port, the wounded and prisoners 
with the baggage were transferred to the Constitution, 
which task occupied the single boat that was left sea- 
worthy after the fight, two entire days. Whe^n this 
was accomplished, what remained of the proud British 
frigate Java, which a few hours before had been the 
picture of a perfect ship, was blown up and soon dis- 
appeared beneath the waves. 

The Constitution had lost nine killed and twenty- 
five wounded. Commodore Bainbridge had been 
twice struck by the enemy's shot, and his wounds 
were dressed after the action was over. Lieutenant 
Alwyn, the junior lieutenant, was also wounded, and 
died of his injuries some time after the action. 

Commodore Bainbridge landed his prisoners, num- 
bering three hundred and fifty-one at San Salavdor, 
and paroled the active participants in the fight, pro- 
viding amply for the care of the wounded. 

Upon his return to the United States, February 
27, 1 8 13, he was received with every demonstration 



25: 



American Naval Heroes. 



of joy and esteem, and Congress voted fifty thousand 
dollars and its thanks " to the commodore, his officers 
and crew," and caused a gold medal to be cast for 
Commodore Bainbridge, and a silver one for each of 
the officers. Bainbridge afterward commanded the 
Charlestown Navy Yard, laid the keel of the line-of- 
battle-ship Independence, and commanded the squad- 
ron that sailed to settle the disturbances in Algiers in 
1815. In 18 19 he commanded the new line-of-battle- 
ship Cohimbiis, in her cruise in the Mediterranean, 
and in 182 1 fitted out the ship-of-the-line North 
Carolina. He acted as second to Decatur in his 
duel with Barron, in which meeting Decatur lost his 
life. He died in Philadelphia, July 25, 1833. 




Burning of the Philadelphia. 



XVIII. 

RICHARD SOMERS. 

" The name of Somers has passed into a battle-cry in the American 
Marine, while those of Wadsworth and Israel are associated with all that can 
ennoble intrepidit)', coolness and daring." — Cooper. 

Lieutenant Somers, 1804. 
Lieutenant Gushing, 1863. 
Lieutenant Hobson, 1898. 

A triumvirate of American naval heroes who from choice courted 
death when they saw in the sacrifice hope for advantage to the causes 
they had espoused. 

Richard Somers was a native of Cape May county, 
N. J. His father, Colonel Somers, had served his 
country in the American army during the Revolution. 
The future hero was a sailor from his early youth, 
and he commanded a vessel previous to the formation 
of the United States Navy in 1798. to which he was 
attached as midshipman during that year, Decatur and 
Caldwell being among his messmates. His first cruise 
was on the frigate United States under Commodore 
Barry. Richard Somers was promoted lieutenant, 
June 2, 1799, and Stephen Decatur was raised to the 
same rank, June 3, 1799. In the assignment of offi- 
cers to the United States, Charles Stewart was first 
lieutenant, Richard Somers was third lieutenant, and 
Stephen Decatur was fourth lieutenant. 




'Old Ironsides. 



Richard Somers. 255 

After the French War Somers served on the frigate 
Boston, 28 guns, Captain McNiel, and made the cruise 
in which his captain gained so much blame and was 
dismissed from the navy. He was appointed to the 
command of the Nautihis when she was launched, 
and continued in that station up to the time of his 
untimely death. He was attached to Commodore 
Preble's squadron in the Mediterranean, and the six 
lieutenants then acting as lieutenants-commandant, 
were in seniority of rank : Stewart, Hull, Smith, 
Somers, Decatur and Dent. When Decatur was pro- 
moted captain for destroying the Philadelphia, he 
became superior officer to four above him in the line of 
promotion, including Somers and the oldest in service, 
Lieutenant- commandant vStewart. 

Commodore Preble, in arranging his gun-boats for 
the attack on the Tripolitan fleet within the harbor 
made Lieutenant-commandant Somers with the Nau- 
tilus one of the division commanders, and Captain 
Stephen Decatur the other. Somers, finding that he 
could not get inside the reef by the route taken by 
Decatur, went down wind by the opposite end of the 
reef, and for a time faced five of the Tripolitan gun- 
boats. The other boats of his division coming up later, 
the enemy were driven of, and the entire fleet of gun- 
boats led by the Constitution sailed close under the 
enemy's batteries and silenced them again and again. 

Then Commodore Preble determined to try the 
effect of a fire-ship among the Tripolitan fleet in the 



256 American Naval Hei'oes. 

harbor, as he was " desirous of annoying the enemy 
by all means." For this purpose the ketch Intrepid, 
which had done such an important service in the 
destruction of the Philadelphia, was selected as the 
fire-ship. One hundred barrels of powder, one hun- 
dred and fifty fixed shells and a quantity of old iron 
and condemned shells were piled amidships and a 
train of powder led from this magazine to a position 
well aft where a mass of combustibles was placed, 
which was intended to make so furious a blaze as to 
baffle the efforts of the boarders to extinguish. The 
train of powder from this room would burn for fifteen 
minutes before reaching the magazine. The volunteer 
crew were expected to escape in two swift row-boats 
placed on the ketch. The Intrepid was to be piloted 
through the enemy's gun-boat fieet, in the midst of the 
shipping, and then fired and deserted, the crew taking 
to the boats and depending upon the confusion of the 
moment to escape. 

When Commodore Preble called for volunteers for 
this hazardous service the crews of the whole squad- 
ron clamoured for the privilege of manning the 
Intrepid. Master-commandant Somers was selected 
to command. Midshipman Henry Wadsworth was 
made his first officer, and ten seamen made up the 
crew. Midshipman Joseph Israel had importuned the 
commodore to allow him to o-o with his commander, 
but had been denied, and he stowed himself away on 
the Intrepid and when discovered was not ordered back. 



Richard Somers. 257 

The heroic crew well understood the danger they 
were encountering, and Somers and his men vowed 
that they would not be taken alive. Before starting 
Lieutenant Somers took a gold ring from his finger 
and breaking it in three pieces gave one piece to 
Decatur, one to Stewart and kept the third piece him- 
self. The pieces were to be kept by his two friends 
as mementos, should he never return. The seamen 
before they left the Cojistitution made disposition of 
their personal effects. 

The exploit was undertaken on the night of Sep- 
tember 4, 1804. A heavy fog hung low over the 
harbor, and a fair wind gave speed to the Intrepid 
as she left the Constihition at eight o'clock and 
disappeared from the sight of the anxious watchers on 
the deck. 

It was arranged for the gun-boats Argus, Vixen 
and Nautilus to stand over toward the channel to 
guard the progress of the Intrepid, and if necessary to 
engage three Tripolitan gun-boats that had anchored 
in the passage during the afternoon. The Nautilus 
followed her daring commander and held the Intrepid 
in view until so near the channel that there was danger 
of alarming the entire fleet of the enemy, when she 
hauled to the wind and awaited the result of the 
soon to be determined venture. 

The crew were so eager to get the last sight of 
the boat or to hear the first sound of the explosion 
that they climbed the rail and with their ears to the 



258 American Naval Heroes. 

water listened, while Midshipman Ridgeley with a 
powerful glass watched the ketch as she glided 
between the gunboats into the channel. 

Just then a signal gun flashed out from the shore 
and the sound followed in the wake of the flash. 
Then every cannon in the batteries on that side of the 
harbor belched forth, and commotion and confusion 
took the place of the silence of a moment before. A 
light seemed to run across the deck of the ketch and 
the next instant came the terrific explosion. The 
eruption of flame lighted up the sky and disclosed the 
location of the ketch to the entire fleet, now fairly 
alive with awakened, terror-stricken crews. 

The shock made the ships beyond the bar quiver, 
and the deafening roar followed in its wake. The 
American ships sent out their boats and fired guns 
and rockets hoping to rescue some surviver. 

One of the Tripolitan gun-boats was missing, and 
three were hauled on shore for repairs. The work 
planned by the commodore had not been accom- 
plished, but the men who went to their death in their 
line of duty, accomplished theirs. 

Whether Somers being discovered and finding it 
impossible to place the ketch in the location desired, 
so as to set fire to the shipping anchored in the bar- 
ber, himself heroically applied the match, or whether 
a shot from the battery on shore struck and exploded 
the magazine, will ever remain among the unsolved 
mysteries. 



XVIli 



THE NAVY IN THE WAR OF 1812. 



England had gained for her navy imperishable 
renown and had made herself mistress of the seas. 
With the aid of the naval forces of the United States 
she had humbled the flag of France; Lord Howe 
under the cross of St. George had won splendid 
victories oi^ Ushant; Sir John Jervis had upheld the 
royal ensign at Cape St. Vincent ; and the great Nelson 
on the Nile and at Trafalgar had checked the proud 
ambition of Napoleon and destroyed the combined 
navies of France and Spain. These wonderful sea- 
fights were not hand-to-hand duels between rival ships, 
but a mustering of immense armadas of from 30 to 60 
line-of-battle ships, each carrying an armament of from 
50 to 120 guns, and on the larger vessels a crew com- 
prising over 1000 men. These operations called for 
the service of skilled seamen, and as the early suc- 
cesses of the navy of the new American republic had 
won for her sailors a reputation as navigators and 
fighting men second to none in the world, England 
naturally turned to the United States for recruits. 
But sailors who had won glory fighting under the 



26o American Naval Heroes. 

Stars and Stripes were loth to serve their old enemy, 
and this led England to take measures to Impress un- 
wary seamen into her service. The excuse of seeking 
deserters or loyal subjects of the king, temporarily 
in the American merchant service, gave a color to 
their right. But when avowed American subjects on 
merchant vessels were seized, and even American men- 
of-war were subjected to the indignity of inspection as 
to the nationality of their crews, the whole people were 
aroused, and when it became known that several 
thousand American sailors were at that time serving in 
the royal navy under impressment, the Government 
determined to put a stop to the outrage. Commodore 
Rodgers was directed to patrol the coast with the frigate 
President, and to warn off any intruding English man- 
of-war detected in this business. The British frip-ate 
Gnerriere while off Sandy Hook and within sight of 
the forts defending the harbor of New York, had 
impressed a young American sailor, forcibly taking 
him from a coasting vessel, and Rodgers determined to 
punish her for the impertinence. In the darkness he 
came up with a British sail, and under the belief that 
it was the Giterriere, he gave chase and soon van- 
quished the vessel, which proved to be the Little Belt, 
a British sloop-of-war. In the encounter the Little 
Belt lost 9 killed and 20 wounded, while the Preside?tt 
had one boy slightly wounded. This overt act on the 
part of the American navy rekindled the war spirit so 
long smothered by the conservative inaction of the 



The Navy in tJic War of 1S12. 261 

older members of Congrress, and the young men of 
that body resolved that the country should no longer 
submit to foreign aggression. 

On June 18, 18 12, Congress declared war against 
Great Britain, which act was followed on June 19 by 
a proclamation from the president making the act of 
Congress effective. The need of a sufficient navy at 
once became apparent. The Navy department had 
expended the money appropriated by Congress in 
building one hundred and seventy-six small gun-boats 
suitable for shallow water, and suggested as useful in 
the Tripolitan War where the larger frigates could not 
enter the harbor. 

But now they were to meet the royal navy of Eng- 
land, comprising two hundred and thirty line-of-battle 
ships and over six hundred frigates and smaller vessels. 
The forethought of Washington had provided the few 
frigates now available, but there were only six of them 
and twelve smaller ships and brigs. The one hundred 
and seventy-six gun-boats could be used only in defen- 
sive warfare, and the money expended for them would 
have built and equipped eight first-class frigates. 

The young nation did not hesitate to meet the foe, 
unequal as was the contest, although the older mem- 
bers of her national legislature still hesitated. If she 
lacked the ships, she had the men, officers and sea- 
men, ready to take the chances. Her commanders 
had been selected by Jefferson and trained by Preble, 
and all had been, as boys and men, under fire. 




Constellation Capturing Insurgents 



XIX. 



JOHN RODGERS. 

He suppressed an attempt to re-capture the French frigate Instcrgente, 
made by the captive crew; saved many lives at the time of the insurrection of 
the slaves in Santo Domingo; captured the Moorish ship i^ifj/zc/^i/a .• destroyed 
a Tripolitan corsair; succeeded Commodore Barron in the command of the 
Mediterranean squadron; obtained a treaty abolishing the paying of tribute, 
from the Bashaw of Tripoli, compelled a treaty of peace from the Bey of Tunis; 
engaged in a sea-fight with the British sloop-of-war Little Belt, before war was 
declared with Great Britain; fired the first shot after war was declared from the 
battery of the President: captured twenty-three prizes during a cruise in the Irish 
sea; declined the cabinet office of secretary of the navy; and was naval com- 
missioner for twenty-two years. 

John Rodgers was born in Harford county, Mary- 
land, July II, 1 77 1. His father was a Scotchman and 
a colonel in the militia, serving during the war of the 
American Revolution. 

The son became an apprentice in the merchant 
marine service in 1 784, when he was thirteen years 
old, and commanded a vessel when eighteen. He 
was commissioned a lieutenant in the United States 
Navy, March 9, i 798, and was first lieutenant — execu- 
tive officer — on the Constcllatioji, Captain Truxton. 
His first sea-fight was in the engagement between the 
Constellation and the Insurgentc, February 9, 1799. 

Lieutenant Rodgers and Midshipman David Porter 
with eleven men were sent on board the prize Insur- 
gente by Captain Truxton immediately after its 

263 



264 America7i Naval Heroes. 

surrender to the Constellatian, to take charge and 
supervise the transfer of prisoners. While so employed 
and while one hundred and seventy-three of the 
French crew were still on the vessel, a gale separated 
her from the Constellation and then thirteen Ameri- 
cans were alone on the ship to manage it in a gale, 
and at the same time to keep in subjection these 
unshackled and unconfined prisoners. 

Rodgers as superior officer was equal to the occa- 
sion, and ordering the prisoners below the hatches 
before they were fully aware of the small number of 
their captors, and placing one resolute seaman at each 
of the hatchways, well armed, and with orders to shoot 
down the first man endeavoring to escape, the other 
ten manned the ship and for three days and two nights 
worked her into St. Christophers, where the Constella- 
tion awaited them. He received a vote of thanks 
from Congress and a silver medal for his part in the 
capture of the lusiirgente. 

He then obtained leave of absence and purchased 
a vessel with which he traded with Santo Domingo, 
and being in that port during the negro insurrection 
succeeded in saving many lives by giving the white 
settlers passage to the United States on his ship. 

He was promoted to the rank of captain, March 5, 
1799, and was given command of the Maryland, 20 
guns, and in March, 1801, was the bearer of dis- 
patches to France. He was assigned to the John 
Adams, 28 guns, fitting out for service with the 



John Rodger s. 265 

Mediterranean squadron operating against the Bar- 
bary States in 1802, and in May, 1803, he captured 
the Moorish ship McsJioiida, as she was attempting to 
run the blockade. On July 21, 1803, in co-operation 
with the Enterprise, he engaged nine gun-boats and 
destroyed a Tripolitan corsair. 

He was ordered home and reached America in 
December, 1803, when he was transferred to the com- 
mand of the Ow^rc'i-j-, 37 guns, with which vessel he 
joined Commodore Barron's squadron in the Mediter- 
ranean, and on May 22, 1805, succeeded to the com- 
mand of the station. On June 3, 1805, '"^^ succeeded 
in procuring from the Bashaw of Tripoli a treaty abol- 
ishing the tribute that had been theretofore exacted,, 
not only from the United States but from all Euro- 
pean powers. The treaty also secured immunity 
for Christian captives from bondage to their captors. 
The same year he compelled the Bey of Tunis to sign 
a similar treaty. 

He then returned home, commanded gun-boats at 
New York, and from 1809 till 18 12 commanded the 
Atlantic home squadron with the President as flag- 
ship, and afforded protection to American seamen 
against impressment in the British navy. 

(^n May 16, 181 1, while cruising near New York, 
he hailed a strange vessel, and in repeating the hail 
the stranger's shot struck the President's mainmast. 
Thereupon Commodore Rodgers answered with a 
shot as well aimed. This brought on a regular 



2 66 America?! N^aval Heroes. 

engagement until the inferiority of the stranger was 
demonstrated, when lying by till daylight Rodgers 
boarded the crippled vessel, which proved to be the 
British ship Little Belt. 

The English captain declined assistance and the 
incident caused much excitement and hastened the 
United States Congress in determining to declare war 
against Great Britain, A court of inquiry acquitted 
Commodore Rodders of all blame and the EuQlish 
authorities made no investigation of the affair. 

At the opening of the War of 1812, the first squad- 
ron to set sail weighed anchor in New York harbor, 
June 2 1, 18 1 2, under command of Commodore Rod- 
gers. with the President as flagship. The U7iited 
States, Captain Stephen Decatur, and the Congress, 
Captain Smith, were the only other frigates. Captain 
James Lawrence commanded the brig Hornet, and 
Captain Sinclair the brig Argus. Their orders were 
to intercept a fleet of one hundred British merchant- 
men from Jamaica bound to England under convoy of 
British men-of-war. 

The President was the first to discover the fleet, 
and on the morning of June 22, Rodgers hailed the 
British frigate Belvidera and immediately gave chase, 
exchanging a broadside and then using her bow chase 
guns. So closely was the Englishman pressed that 
they cut away their anchors and threw overboard their 
boats and water casks. The pursuit was kept up 
for eio-ht hours. Rodeers was wounded in the 



yohu Rodger s. 267 

engagement by the bursting of a gun on the President 
after he had himself fired the first gun in the chase, 
which was the first shot in the war of 18 12. 

He made four cruises in search of British men- 
of-war, and in the third cruise off he visited the Irish 
channel where he captured twelve vessels, chased 
the frigate Nymph and the Curlczv, and captured the 
Highflyer, with the book of signals used in the British 
navy. His entire number of prizes in these cruises 
amounted to twenty-three. 

He was received in the United States with demon- 
strations of honor. In June, 18 14, he was i.n Balti- 
more where he commanded the sailors and marines, 
co-operating with the militia in the battles of North 
Point and in the attack on Fort McHenry. The naval 
force under his command also defended the water bat- 
tery and the auxiliary forts as well as the barges of the 
naval flotilla, several of which he ordered sunk in the 
channel to prevent the progress of the British frigates. 

President Madison offered to Commodore Rodgers 
the portfolio of the navy in 1814, which he declined. 
The President then appointed him naval commissioner, 
which position he held from 18 15 to 1837, except 
during the years 1824-182 7, when he commanded 
the Mediterranean squadron. 

He died in Philadelphia, Pa., August i, 1838. 



XX. 



ISAAC HULL. 

*' The style in which the Constitution had been handled; the deliberate and 
yet earnest manner in which she had been carried into battle; the extraordinary 
execution that had been made in a short time by her fire; the readiness and 
i^rallantry with which she had cleared for action, so soon after destroying one 
Urilish frigate, in which was manifested a disposition to meet another, united to 
produce a deep conviction of self reliance, coolness and skill, that was of infinitely 
more weight than the transient feeling which might result from any accidental 
triumph." — Cooper. 

The Constitution, commanded by Captain Isaac 
Hull, with Lieutenant Charles Morris as second 
officer, was ordered from Annapolis to New York. 
July 5, 181 2. This frigate had been characterised by 
British sailors as a " bundle of pine boards under a bit 
uf striped bunting," but these very sailors were soon 
to meet her under conditions that would command 
their respect, if not their admiration. 

While on her way to New York the Constitution 
encountered a formidable English squadron made up 
of four frigates, a line-of-battle ship, a brig and a 
schooner, under Commodore Broke. The entire 
squadron gave chase. 

It was a dead calm, and the only headway to be 
made was by towing the great ships. The enemy 
attached all their boats to two of the frigates, and with 
the streno-th of the oarsmen succeeded in gaining upon 

269 



270 American Naval Heroes. 

the Constitution so as to bring their bow guns to bear 
on her. In this situation they continued two days, the 
Constitutio7i occasionally firing her stern chasers, and 
it was not till the third morning that a slight breeze 
enabled her to escape from an enemy so much superior 
in force that to lay to and give battle meant certain 
destruction or surrender. 

The chase had lasted sixty hours and during all 
that time the gallant crew remained at their stations 
without a word of complaint. 

This exploit was heralded all over the world, and 
gained for the American navy additional renov/n. In 
a public letter, posted in the Exchange Coffee House, 
Boston, into which port the Cojistitution put for 
rest. Captain Hull disclaimed personal merit, and 
generously accorded to his subordinates the credit 
usually absorbed by the commanding officer. He said : 

Captain Hull, finding that his friends in Boston are correctly 
informed of the situation when chased by the British squadron off 
New York, and that they are good enough to give him more credit 
for having escaped it than he ought to claim, takes this opportunity 
of requestmg them to transfer their good wishes to Lieutenant 
Morris and the other brave officers and the crew under his com- 
mand, for their very great exertions and prompt attention to his 
orders while the enemy were in chase. Captain Hull has great 
pleasure in saying that, notwithstanding the length of the chase, and 
the officers and crew being deprived of sleep and allowed but little 
refreshment during the time, not a murmur was heard to escape 
them. 

The hero of the hour was born in Derby, Conn., 
March 9, 1775. His father was an officer in the army 



Isaac Hull. 271 

under Washington, and his uncle, General William 
Hull, was in the same service. 

Following" the inclination of the average New 
England youth, Isaac went to sea as a cabin boy 
when fourteen years old, and at nineteen com- 
manded a ship. In March, 1798, he entered the 
United States Navy as a lieutenant on board the 
Constitution. In 1804 he served as master on board 
the Argus, and engaged in the Tripolitan expedition, 
distinguishing himself at the storming of Tripoli and 
the reduction of Deccan. 

In 1806 he was advanced to a captaincy, and in 
181 1 to the command of "the Constitution. He was 
sent to Europe, having on board specie for the pay- 
ment of the interest on the debt due in Holland. 

After touching at Cherbourg, the Constitution 
went off the Texel and landed her money, though 
not without great difficulty owing to the roughness 
of the weather, and the great distrust of those on 
shore, who were closely blockaded by the British. 
She then proceeded to Portsmouth where she re- 
mained a few days in order to communicate with 
the American legation at London. 

Having completed his official duties in England, 
Captain Hull sailed for France. The next day several 
sail of British men-of-war were seen in chase, and as 
there had been much trouble about deserters while 
in port it was the impression on board the Constitu- 
tion that the vessels were sent in pursuit. The 



272 American Naval Heroes. 

Constifution, however, outsailed all the fleet save one 
frigate that weathered ii|)on her. 

After leading the ship a long distance ahead of the 
fleet Captain Hull hove to, beat to quarters and waited 
to learn her object, which fortunately proved amicable. 

While in the harbor of Portsmouth, England, he 




Constitution and Guerriere in Close Engagennent. 
Fro7n an old wood-cut engraved in iSji. 

was threatened by English search officers, but instead 
of submitting to their demands he at once prepared 
his ship for action. He would have fired upon the 
Englishman, notwithstanding the peaceful relations 
that existed between the two countries, had not the 
British officer desisted in his purpose. 

After his celebrated chase by the British squadron 
he remained inactive at Boston, until, tired of waiting 



Isaac Hit I I 273 

for orders, he sailed without them, and on August 19 
fell in with the British frigate Guerricrc\ 49 guns, 
Captain Dacres. 

After several hours' manceuvering, Captain Hull, in 
a half-hour's severe fighting, captured the Giicrrierc, 
having in that time reduced a splendid ship to a 




Constitution and Guerriere. 



From an old luood-cut ttigra'rcd in /Sji. 

dismantled hulk, so badly wounded that the next day- 
he was obliged to take Captain Dacres and his men 
on board the Constitution, while he scuttled and fired 
the prize wreck, wdiich, after illuminating the expanse 
of the ocean as from a funeral pile, soon found a grave 
in the deep Atlantic. 

The killed and woimded on the Guerriere num- 
bered sevent\'-nine, while those on the Constitutioji 



2 74 American Naval Heroes. 

were but fourteen. In the engagement Lieutenant 
Charles Morris was shot through the body by a bullet 
from the musket of a marine, while he was endeavor- 
ing to lash the bowsprit of the Guery'iere to the toprail 
of the Constitution. Every mast and spar of the 
Guerriere had been shot away, her colors being 
fastened to the stump of the mizzenmast. On the 
Constitntion the Stars and Stripes at the foretop mast- 
head was shot away, when one of the crew went aloft 
and lashed it so securely that it could not be lowered 
except with the mast itself. 

We give the following particulars of the action in 
Captain Hull's own words : 

United States Frigate Constitution, 

Off Boston Light, August 30, 181 2. 

Sir : — I have the honor to inform you that on the 19th instant 
at 2 p. m., being in latitude 41°, 42' and longitude 55°, 48' with 
the Constitution under my command, a sail was discovered from the 
mast-head bearing east by south, or east south-east, but at such a 
distance we could not tell what she was. All sail was instantly made 
in chase and soon found we came up with her. At 3 p. m. could 
plainly see that she was a ship on the starboard tack under easy sail, 
close to the wind. At half-past three p. m. made her out to be a 
frigate. We continued the chase untft we were within three miles 
when I ordered the light sails to be taken in, the courses hauled up 
and the ship cleared for action. At this time the chase had 
backed his maintopsail, v/aiting for us to come down. 

As soon as the Constitntion was ready for action, I bore down 
with an intention to bring him to close action immediately, but on 
our coming within gunshot she gave us a broadside, and filled away 
and wore, giving us a broadside on the other tack but without effect, 
her shot falling short. She continued wearing and manoeuveringfor 
about three-quarters of an hour, to get a raking position, but finding 
she could not, she bore up, and ran under her topsails and jib, with 



Isaac Hull. 275 

the wind to the quarter. I immediately made sail to bring the ship 
lip with her, and five minutes before 6 p. m. being alongside within 
half pistol-shot, we commenced a heavy fire from all our guns, double 
shotted with round and grape, and so well directed were they, and so 
warmly kept up that in fifteen minutes her mizzenmast went by the 
board and her main yard in the slings, and the hull, rigging and sails 
very much torn to pieces. The fire was kept up with equal warmth 
for fifteen minutes longer when his mainmast and foremast went, 
taking with them every spar excepting the bowsprit. On seeing 
this we ceased firing, so that in thirty minutes after we got fairly 
alongside the enemy she surrendered, and had not a spar standing 
and her hull below and above water so shattered that a few more 
broadsides must have carried her down. 

After informing you that so fine a ship as the Gjicrriere, 
commanded by an able and experienced officer, had been totally 
dismasted and otherwise cut to pieces, so as to make her not worth 
towing into port, in the short space of thirty minutes, you can have 
no doubt of the gallantry and good conduct of the officers and ship's 
company I have the honor to command. It only remains with me 
to assure you that they all fought with great bravery, and it gives me 
great pleasure to say, that from the smallest boy in the ship to 
the oldest seaman not a look of fear was seen. They all went into 
action giving three cheers, and requested to be laid close alongside 
the enemy. 

Enclosed I have the honor to send you a list of killed and 
wounded on board the Constitution and a report of the damages she 
has sustained, also a list of the killed and wounded on board the 
enemy with his quarter bill, &c. 
I have the honor to be 

with very great respect, 

Sir, your obedient servant 

Isaac Hull. 
The Honorable Paul Hamilton, Esq. 

In his official letter Captain Dacres characterized 
the conduct of Captain Hull as " that of a brave 
enemy ; the greatest care being taken to prevent the 
men losing the slightest article, and the greatest atten- 
tion being paid to the wounded." 



276 



American Naval Heroes. 



This first victory of the war in a well-balanced sea- 
fight was hailed with joy, and the Constitution took to 
herself a new name, " Old Ironsides''' by which she 
was known ever thereafter. Congress voted fifty 
thousand dollars as a reward to be distributed among 
the officers and crew. 

To Captain Hull, Congress gave a gold medal, and 
the citizens of Philadelphia a service of plate. The 
several states vied with each other in honoring the 
officers and crew of " Old Ironsides y 

After the war Captain Hull served on the naval 
board, commanded the navy yards at Boston, Ports- 
mouth and Washington, and was in charge of the 
Mediterranean and Pacific Beets. He died in Phila- 
delphia, February 13, 1843. 




XX, 



JAMES LAWRENCE. 

" Go on deck and tell the officers to fight on to the last and never strike the 
colors. They shall wave while I live." — I .ast zvords of I.aivrence. 

The lack of discipline, of training in gunnery prac- 
tice and of an extended service in the school of the 
navy on the part of inferior officers and seamen, has 
always brought to a nation, a fleet, or a commander 
disaster and defeat. It was under such conditions that 
the brave though impetuous Lawrence lost his ship and 
his life, but at the same time won for himself imperish- 
able renown, and made his "Don't give up the ship," 
a watch- word in the American Nav}-. 

James Lawrence was born in Burlington, N. J., Oc- 
tober I, 1 78 1 He was warranted a midshipman in 
the United States Navy in 1798 and served as acting 
lieutenant in iSoo, but did not receive his commission 
until 1802. His first service was in the squadron 
operating in the Mediterranean during the Tripolitan 
War, where he was intrusted with the command of a 
gun-boat and distinguished himself for his bravery in 
an attack on an Algerine ketch. He was first officer 
on the Enterprise, Captain Stephen Decatur, during 
the bombardment of Tripoli. 



2'jOa American Naval Heroes. 

In making up a picked crew to accompany him in 
the bold undertaking to rescue or destroy the PJiila- 
delphia, captured and grounded in the harbor of Trip- 
oli, Captain Decatur selected Lawrence as his first 
ofificer, and with the boarding party escaped to the 
Intrepid after firing the Philadelphia, February i6, 
1804. This was pronounced by Lord Nelson to be 
" the most daring act of the age." 

He continued to serve in the Mediterranean fleet 
from 1804 to 1808 when he was transferred to the 
Constitution as first lieutenant. He next commanded 
the Vixen and was transferred to the command of the 
Wasp, the Argus and the Hornet respectively, being 
ocmmissioned captain in 181 1. 

As commander of the Hornet he was assigned to the 
fleet of Commodore Bainbridge on the outbreak of the 
war with Great Britain in 181 2, and cruised off the 
coast of Brazil. He blockaded the British man-of-war 
Bonne Citoyenne in the port of San Salvador and 
challenged her captain to meet him at sea, but the 
prudent British commander remained safely within the 
harbor for a fortnight till a British ship-of-the-line 
drove the saucy little American away. He then fell 
in with the British brig Resolution, which he captured 
with $25,000 in treasure. Finding his prize a dull 
sailer he removed her treasure and crew to the Hornet 
and burned the brig. He next encountered the brig- 
of-war Peacock when off Demerara and both vessels 
made use of the skill of their navigators to gain the 



y antes Laiurehcc. 27 1« 

weather-gage which advantage fell to Lawrence who 
tacked, and delivered broadside after broadside at 
short range. The Peacock was vainly endeavoring to 
wear when the Hornet caught her in her quarter and 
poured into the brig a heavy fire which so crippled her 
after a fight of fifteen minutes that she was compelled 
to surrender. 

As the Peacock struck her colors she hoisted an 
ensign, union down, as a signal of distress. Her mast 
went by the board and she had six feet of water in her 
hold. Captain Lawrence dispatched the boats of the 
Hornet to take off the wounded and finding the ship 
fast sinking the prize crew endeavored to plug the 
holes caused by the shot from the Hornet and to 
lighten her by throwing overboard her heavy guns. 
In this way the prisoners were removed. But not- 
withstandinp" the efforts of the crew of the Hornet, 
the Peacock sunk, carrying down thirteen of her crew 
and three of the rescuers from the Hornet. The 
captain and four men were found dead on her deck, 
and thirty-two wounded had been removed to the 
Hornety while that vessel lost only one man killed and 
two slightly wounded. Captain Lawrence received 
the thanks of Congress, and the officers and crew the 
usual medals and appropriation of money. 

On June i, 1813, Captain Lawrence, in command 
of the United States frigate Chesapeake, accepted the 
challenge of Captain Broke of the British frigate 
Shannon, to meet him outside Boston Harbor. On 



2 72« Americaji Naval Heroes. 

the same day Captain Lawrence had met an open 
mutiny from the crew, all new to him, who demanded 
their pay. Their discontent had been encouraged by 
their friend sfrom the city, both men and women, who 
on the morning they were to sail had visited them and 
held high carnival for many hours before they were 
ordered ashore. 

It was with this crew, utterly disregarding discipline 
and possessed of a spirit of insubordination, that Law- 
rence undertook to meet the Shannon, a larger ship 
\vith a much heavier armament and a crew in good 
training and under strict discipline. 

The Shannon was noted for excellent gunnery 
practice and her captain had supplied sights for the 
guns at his own expense. On the discharge of the 
first broadside, White, the sailing master, was killed 
and Captain Lawrence received a severe wound, but 
insisted on remaining on the quarter-deck. Lieu- 
tenant Ludlow was also severely wounded. A few 
minutes later Lawrence received a ball fired from the 
maintop of the SJiannon and was carried below. On 
passing the gangway he perceived the hopeless con- 
dition of the Chesapeake, but cried out, 

" Don't surrender the ship." 

On reaching the ward-room, as he lay in excruciat- 
ing pain, perceiving that the noise above had ceased, 
he ordered the surgeon to go on deck and tell the 



yaines Lawrence. 21'' a 

officers to fig^ht on to the last and never strike the 
colors. 

"They shall wave." said he, "while I live." 

But the enemy had already taken possession of the 
ship. 

Captain Lawrence died after suffering the most 
distressing pain for four days, and sixty-one of his 
officers and men joined with him the "great majority." 
while eighty-three were wounded, including Lieu- 
tenants Ludlow and Ballard. On the Shannoji twenty- 
six were killed and fifty-seven wounded, including 
Captain Broke. 

Both ships were taken to Halifax where Lawrence 
was buried with military honors. The victory served 
in a measure to restore the prestige of the British 
navy and Captain Broke was created a baronet and 
w^as otherw^ise honored. The remains of Lawrence and 
Ludlow were restored to the United States and on 
their arrival at Salem, Mass., w^erc received with public 
honors, Justice Story delivering an oration. 

Captain Lawrence's tragic fate and dying injunction 
silenced public criticism as to his conduct in giving 
fight to the SJianiion. His memorable words became 
the motto of the navy, and have been more effective in 
securing his immortality than monuments of brass or 
pillars of granite. On the quarter-deck of the Con- 
stitution, the ship on which he gained his promotion, 
the legend was written in bold letters, where it will 
remain as lonof as "Old Ironsides" holds too'ether. 



2'7Aa American Naval Heroes. 

A granite sarcophagus marks his last resting-place in 
Trinity Church Yard, New York City, where naval 
heroes for all generations will gain inspiration as they 
read the record of his exploits there briefly given, with 
the date of his death, June 6, 1813. and the words: 

"Don't give up the ship." 



XXI. 



JACOB JONES. 

The combat lietween the IVasp and the Frolic was the first in the War of 
1812, between single ships of equal force; and the result proved to the world 
the conduct, courage and skill of the American ship manned by an American 
crew; when skill, courage and conduct were alone the factors that could accom- 
plish a victory. 

The hero in the battle between the Wasp and the 
Frolic was born in .Smyrna, Delaware, in the year 
1768. He was the son of a farmer of position and 
influence. His mother, who was a Miss Jones, died 
shortly after his birth, and his father then married a 
Miss Holt, granddaughter of the Hon. Ryves Holt, 
ju.stice of the lower counties in Delaware, and by this 
step-mother the future commodore was brought up 
and given a classical education. 

He studied medicine under Dr. .Sykes of Dover, 
and was graduated at the medical department of the 
University of Pennsylvania. He found the medical 
field well supplied with older practitioners and 
through the influence of Governor Clayton obtained 
the clerkship of the Supreme Court of Delaware for 
Kent county. 

He tired of inactive official life, and in 1799, when 
the country was menaced with a war with France, he 
obtained a warrant as a midshipman in the United 



n'jAa American Naval Heroes. 

A granite sarcophagus marks his last resting-place in 
Trinity Church Yard, New York City, where naval 
heroes for all generations will gain inspiration as they 
read the record of his exploits there briefly given, with 
the date of his death, June 6, 1813, and the words: 

"Don't give up the ship." 



XXI. 



JACOB JONES. 

The combat between the IVasp and the Frolic was the first in the War of 
i8i2, between single ships of equal force; and the result proved to the world 
the conduct, courage and skill of the American ship manned by an American 
crew; when skill, courage and conduct were alone the factors that could accom- 
plish a victory. 

The hero in the battle between the Wasp and the 
Frolic was born in Smyrna. Delaware, in the year 
I 768. He was the son of a farmer of position and 
inlluence. His mother, who was a Miss Jones, died 
shortly after his birth, and his father then married a 
Miss Holt, granddaughter of the Hon. Ryves Holt, 
justice of the lower counties in Delaware, and by this 
step-mother the future commodore was brought up 
and given a classical education. 

He studied medicine under Dr. Sykes of Dover, 
and was graduated at the medical department of the 
University of Pennsylvania. He found the medical 
field well supplied with older practitioners and 
through the influence of Governor Clayton obtained 
the clerkship of the Supreme Court of Delaware for 
Kent county. 

He tired of inactive official life, and in 1799, when 
the country was menaced with a war with France, he 
obtained a warrant as a midshipman in the United 



yacob Jones. 279 

States Navy. He was twenty-nine years old and it 
seemed to his friends a wild project to begin a life 
usually taken up for boys and striplings, requiring 
years of probation and the sacrifice of personal pride 
and convenience. 

He was fortunate in having as a master in his 
new profession so able and thorough a sailor as 
Commodore John Barry, and his first voyage was 
as midshipman on board the frigate United States, 
44 guns. Captain Barry, when she carried Chief Jus- 
tice Ellsworth and General Davie as envoys extra- 
ordinary to the French Republic. He was next 
a midshipman on the frigate Ganges, 24 guns, 
and he became a proficient navigator and able 
seaman. 

He was on board the Philadelphia, Captain Bain- 
bridge, when that frigate was ordered to the Mediter- 
ranean to take part in the war with Tripoli. He suf- 
fered the fortunes of his commander in the loss of his 
ship, and the nineteen long months of imprisonment 
at Tripoli among a barbarous people and' in a noxious 
climate. 

This experience neither broke his spirit nor im- 
paired his iron constitution, and on returning to the 
United States he was promo'ted to a lieutenancy. 
He was on the station at New Orleans when he 
was appointed to the command of the Argus, 16 
guns, and cruised for the protection of the southern 
maritime frontier. 



28o American Naval Heroes. 

In 1811 he was made captain, and was transferred 
to the command of the sloop-of-war Wasp, 18 guns. 
With his vessel he followed the Constitution, Captain 
Hull, and the Hornet, Captain Lawrence, to Europe 
with official dispatches and diplomatic communica- 
tions that terminated in the War of 181 2. 

The declaration of war sent the Frolic home, and 
when Captain Jones had refitted the Wasp his first 
cruise resulted only in the capture of an insignificant 
prize. 

On October 13, 18 12, he again put to sea, and 
after weathering a long and heavy gale he fell in 
with a Heet of well-armed merchantmen under con- 
voy of the British sloop-of-war Frolic. 22 guns. Cap- 
tain Thomas Whingates. 

This eneaeement was the next success to follow 
the capture of the Gnerriere, and one that has ever 
stood on the record of the American navy without a 
parallel among the victories won by the bravery and 
prowess of her officers and men. 

The fleet was bound from Honduras for England. 
The merchantmen under press of sail escaped, leav- 
ing the Wasp and Frolic to contest single-handed for 
supremacy. There was a heavy swell on the sea, the 
weather being boisterous. The topgallant yards of 
the JVasp were taken down, her topsails were close- 
reefed and her men were called to quarters. 

At about eleven o'clock the Frolic displayed 
Spanish colors. In answer the JFasp ran up the 



Jacob Jones. 281 

American ensign and pendant and in half an hour 
came down to windward on the larboard side of the 
Frolic within about sixty yards and halted. With that 
the enemy hauled down the Spanish ensign and 
hoisted the British flag, at the same time opening a 
fire of cannon and musketry, which was promptly 
returned by the Wasp. The vessels getting at closer 
quarters, the engagement continued without intermis- 
sion. A few minutes after the first broadsides had 
been exchanged, the maintopmast of the Wasp was 
shot away, leaving the maintopsail-yard across the 
larboard fore and foretopsail braces, rendering her 
headyards unmanageable during the remainder of the 
action. Her gaff and mizzen top-gallantsail were also 
shot away. The sea was rough, and the muzzles of 
the guns of the Wasp were frequently dipping the 
water. Her gunners reserved their fire until the side 
of the ship was going down, and thus brought the 
effect of her shot on or below the deck of the Frolic. 

The Englishman, on the contrary, fired their broad- 
side as the ship was rising, and hence the destruction 
to the rigging of the JVasp. A spirited fire was kept 
up on both sides, which resulted in effectually strip- 
ping the Wasp of all her spars and rigging, leaving 
the masts unsupported and in immediate danger of 
going by the board. 

In order to avoid this additional calamity, and to 
prevent the escape of the Frolic, Captain Jones deter- 
mined to board the enemy and thus decide the contest. 



2 82- 



Aincrican Naval Heroes. 



He thereupon ran down upon her, the Frolic 
striking the American vessel between the main and 
mizzen riggings, immediately over the heads of Cap- 
tain Jones and Lieutenant Biddle, who stood together 
on deck near the capstan. 

The position gave the Americans the opportunity 
to rake the Englishman, which was promptly done, 




Wasp and Frolic. 
From ati old -Mood-cnt e^igraved in iS^i. 

and at so close quarters that the men in reloading 
found their ramrods in contact with the sides of the 
Frolic. 

The effect of the broadside was startling, as soon 
after discovered. Before an order to repeat the dose 
could be given, a brave sailor, John Lang of New 
Brunsw^ick, N. J., had sprung, cutlass in hand, to 
the deck of the Frolic, closely followed by Lieutenant 



Jacob Jones. 283 

Bicldle, and as they gained the forecastle they dis- 
covered but a soHtary seaman at the wheel and three 
officers on deck. The captain and his lieutenants 
promptly threw down their swords in token of sur- 
render, and seeing the British flag still flying, Lieu- 
tenant Biddle jumped into the rigging and hauled it 
down. It was now just forty-five minutes since the 
first gun had fired, and not twenty of the entire 
crew of the Frolic were capable of any duty. Both 
upper and berth decks were covered with the dead 
and dying, and to add to the horror the masts and 
spars fell and augmented the suffering of those yet 
alive. 

The losses on the Frolic were thirty killed and 
fifty wounded, and on the Wasp five men killed and 
five wounded. 

All hands were now employed in clearing the deck, 
burying the dead, and taking care of the wounded, 
when Captain Jones sent orders to Lieutenant Biddle 
to proceed with the prize to any convenient southern 
port of the United States for repairs. Captain Jones 
continued his cruise with the Wasp. 

Just as the vessels parted, a British frigate, the 
PoicHcrs, Captain John Poer Beresford, appeared and 
fired a shot over the Frolic. He then overtook the 
Wasp, which in her disabled condition was unable to 
escape. Returning, he secured the Frolic, and car- 
ried both vessels to Bermuda, where he released the 
officers and crew on parole. 



2 84 



American N^aval Heroes. 



Upon returning- to the United States, the gallant 
Captain Jones was everywhere received with dem- 
onstrations of gratitude and admiration. Brilliant 
entertainments were oriven him in the cities through 
which he passed. The legislature of Delaware 
appointed a committee to wait upon him with their 
thanks and to express the " pride and pleasure " they 
felt in recoofnizingr him as a native of their state, at 
the same time voting him an elegant piece of plate 
with appropriate engravings. The Congress of the 
United States, on motion of Senator J. A. Bayard of 
Delaware, appropriated twenty-five thousand dollars 
as a compensation to Captain Jones and his crew for 
the loss they sustained in the recapture of the Frolic, 
and ordered a gold medal to be presented to the cap- 
tain and a silver medal to each of his officers. The 
several states passed congratulatory resolutions and 
made to the officers valuable gifts of swords and plate, 
and he was made an honorary member of the Society 
of the Cincinnati. 

Captain Jones was made post-captain March 13, 
18 1 3, and commanded the Macedonian in Decatur's 
squadron operating in the Mediterranean. Return- 
ing to the United States he was appointed commis- 
sary of the naval board and governor of the Phil- 
adelphia Naval Asylum. He died in Philadelphia, 
Pa., August 3, 1S50. 



XXI 



CHARLES MORRIS. 

As a midshipman he gained a prominent place among the heroes of the 
Tripolitan War; as a commander he made the flag of America feared and the 
power of her navy felt in the operations conducted against her commerce; and 
as a naval expert he built up the American navy to the height of the prosperity 
it enjoyed from 1823 to 1856, and he was egarded by many as the foremost 
naval authority in the establishment as it existed before the Civil War. 

Charles Morris, the gallant midshipman, who, with 
Lieutenant Decatur, volunteered to accomplish the 
destruction of the frigate Philadelphia in the harbor 
of Tripoli, and who was the first man of the party 
to reach the quarter-deck of the vessel, shared with 
Decatur in the honors accorded for the exploit. 

He was born in Woodstock, Conn., July 26, 1784, 
and was appointed a midshipman in the United States 
Navy, July i , i 799, when scarcely fifteen years old. He 
sailed from Portsmouth, N. H., in the frigfate Congress, 
^fj guns, Captain James Sever, when that ship and 
the Essex, Captain Preble, were ordered on a cruise to 
the West Indies. In their voyage out the Congress 
was dismantled and was obliged to put back for repairs. 
In this disaster Midshipman Morris had his shoul- 
der dislocated by the falling of a spar, and his 
father, then purser of the ship, inquired of him if he 

28s 




Enterprise and Boxer. 



Charles Morris. 287 

still chose to pursue the life of a sailor. His prompt 
af^rmative caused him to be kept on the ship and after 
the repairs were finished he made the cruise. 

On his return he was assigned to the Constihi- 
tio?i. Commodore Preble's flagship in the Mediter- 
ranean squadron. At Syracuse he was one of the 
seventy who volunteered on the expedition to re-cap- 
ture or burn the frigate Philadelphia, then in the 
hands of the Tripolitans in the harbor of Tripoli. 

On February 3, 1804, the party under Lieutenant 
Decatur of the Enterprise, sailed from Syracuse in the 
ketch Intrepid on a duty which the commodore him- 
self would not encourage on account of the danger 
with which it must be attended. Midshipman Morris 
had the honor of wearing the commodore's pistols, 
handed to him as he was ready to embark. 

The Intrepid was on the voyage fifteen days, being 
detained by tempestuous weather. They gained the 
harbor at night and found the Philadelphia anchored 
within half gun-shot of the bashaw's castle and the 
principal battery. Two of the enemy's cruisers lay 
within two cables' length of the starboard quarter, 
and his gun-boats within half gun-shot of the star- 
board bow. On the Philadelphia were one thousand 
Turks, and her guns were all mounted and loaded. 

In this hostile harbor the little ketch with her 
seventy fearless American sailors quietly sailed and 
came alongside the frigate after eleven o'clock at 
night. 



288 American Naval Heroes. 

Lieutenant Decatur and Midshipman Morris led 
the boarding party, and Morris first reached the 
quarter-deck of the Philadelphia. They surprised 
the Turks and slew at least twenty, while the rest 
were driven below or jumped overboard. It was so 
dark that Morris, being disguised as were the rest of 
the party, was twice taken as an enemy by his gallant 
commander, and only saved his life by calling out 
his name. After the successful accomplishment of 
the object of the expedition and the safe return of the 
party to the Constitution, Midshipman Morris was 
transferred to the Argus, Lieutenant Hull. 

After the battle of August 3, 1804, in which the 
Tripolitan gun-boats were badly used up and the land 
batteries repeatedly silenced by Commodore Preble's 
fleet, Midshipman Morris, while in a small boat belong- 
ing to the Argus, boarded and captured a small French 
privateer that had just escaped from the harbor, and 
Commodore Preble employed her captain to carry the 
wounded Tripolitan prisoners back to their homes. 

In January, 1807, he was promoted to a lieuten- 
ancy, and in July, 18 12, was made executive of^cer of 
the Constitution. When she had her remarkable 
chase for sixty hours in an effort to escape from the 
British fleet in July of that year, he was in charge 
of the navigation of the ship. He distinguished him- 
self in the engagement between the Constitution and 
the Guerriere and was shot through the body, the 
ball, however, reaching no vital part. He was 



Charles Moj'ris. 289 

promoted to the rank of captain, March 5, 1S13, pass- 
ing the intermediate grade of Heutenant-commander, 
and in- 1 8 14 he was appointed to the command of the 
United States frigate John Adaiiis, 28 guns, in which 
vessel he cruised off the United States and Irish coasts 
and captured many vakiable prizes, doing great injury 
to British commerce. 

When a few days out he encountered a severe 
gale and put into Penobscot bay for repairs. For 
greater security against attack, while the ship was 
beached, he proceeded up the river to Hampden, 
about thirty miles above Castine, Maine. 

On September i, 1814, while the ship was prepar- 
ing for heaving, and therefore in no condition for 
defence, a British force of sixteen sail appeared off the 
harbor of Castine. 

Morris at once made preparations for defending 
the ship from land. He sent the cannon from the 
ship to the batteries hastily thrown up, placed obstruc- 
tions in the river, and the militia was called in from the 
country. By a forced march Lieutenant Lewis arrived 
from Castine with a detachment of twenty-eight of the 
United States artillery. The want of arms and ammu- 
nition in the militia was supplied from the ship. 

The enemy made an attack on the 3d of Septem- 
ber, and the militia fled at the first appearance of the 
British fleet. A feeble resistance was made by the 
ship's crew and the artillery. To prevent the ship 
falling into the hands of the enemy Captain Morris set 



290 American N^aval Heroes. 

her on fire after spiking the guns in the batteries, and 
the men were separated into small parties and marched 
through the thinly settled country to Portland, a dis- 
tance of two hundred miles. 

Captain Morris lost one seaman and one marine, 
both taken prisoners. The British lost eight to ten 
killed and forty to fifty wounded, the principal damage 
being done by the i8-pounder under the charge of 
Lieutenant Lewis. 

He was in command of the squadron in the Gulf 
of Mexico in 18 16-18 17, and on the coast of Buenos 
Ayres, 18 19-1820. He served as naval commissioner 
during the years 1823-1827, and 1832-1841, and his 
position gave him a vote on every question of naval 
administration. He commanded the Brandywine 
during the special commission of that vessel in con- 
veying Lafayette as the guest of the nation back to 
his home in France in September — October, 1825. 
He was afterward on special duty as inspector of 
navy and dock-yards in England and France, and 
for many years supervised the naval academy in 
Annapolis. From 185 1 to 1856 he was chief of the 
bureau of ordnance and hydrography at Washington. 

He gave more than fifty years of his best thought 
and energy to promoting the growth of the American 
navy and may be said to have been its champion 
when a handful of heroes made its name respected 
not only at home but abroad. 

He died in Washington, D. C, January 27, 1856. 



XXIII. 

WILLIAM HENRY ALLEN. 

" To see so many brave men standing to their quarters amid the blood of 
their butchered and wounded countrymen, and hear their cries, without the 
means of avenging them ! and when in three minutes we could have avenged 
them ! To have the flag of my country disgraced ! To be so mortified, humbled, 
cut to the soul ! Yes, to have the finger of scorn pointed at me as one of the 
officers of the Chesapeake! — Lieutenant Allen in a letter to afrie?id.'" 

The name of Allen will be associated with those of 
Lawrence, Alwyn and Burrows " who while defending 
the national flag, dyed it in their blood and were 
wrapped in its folds as they were committed to their 
graves," 

William Henry Allen was born in Providence, 
R. L, October 21, 1784. His father, General William 
Allen, was a distinguished oflficer of the American 
Revolution, and his mother was a* sister of William 
Jones, governor of Rhode Island. In May, 1800, he 
was admitted to the United States Navy as a midship- 
man and in August following was ordered on board 
the frigate Gcoj^ge Washington, Captain Bainbridge, 
about to proceed to Algiers with tribute to the reign- 
ing dey. 

fust before sailing he wrote to his father : "I now 
bid you a short adieu ; but should it be the last, you 
shall have the satisfaction to hear of my good conduct 
in my station as an ofificer and a gentleman." 




William Henry Allen. 



William Henry Allen. 293 

Under the instruction of Captain Bainbridge he 
rapidly gained a thorough knowledge of naval tactics, 
and won the esteem of his officers and the confidence 
of the government. 

On his return to the United States in 1 801, he 
was assigned to the Philadelphia, Captain Barron, also 
bound on a cruise in the Mediterranean. The frieate 
visited Algiers, was then ordered to Constantinople by 
the Dey, and afterward blockaded the harbor of Tripoli. 

In June, 1802, the Philadelphia returned to the 
United States. In October, 1802, he was ordered to 
the frigate Johi Adams, Captain Rodgers, and again 
visited the Mediterranean. While abroad a friend in- 
correctly informed him of the promotion of a younger 
officer over him. His reply was: "I am too well 
grounded in old principles to mind such assaults now. 
If the government decides this, I can say Amen with 
all my heart." 

Soon after returning from this cruise he was 
appointed sailing master of the Congress, and once 
more sailed for the Mediterranean. 

On this cruise he fell overboard in a gale from 
the foreyard into the sea, striking near where the 
anchor was suspended on the bows. He came up 
directly by the mizzen chains on which he caught hold 
and regained the ship. 

When Commodore Rodgers wished to take sound- 
ings of the harbor of Tripoli, contemplating an attack 
on the city, he selected Sailing-master Allen to 



294 American Naval Heroes. 

accompany him in the hazardous expedition. They en- 
tered the harbor with muffled oars and came so near the 
Tripolitan gun-boats as to hear the conversation of 
those on board, and so near to the batteries on shore 
as to hear the sentinel calhng the watchword. A gale 
came up that shifted the position of the Naiitilus, on 
which vessel they had entered the harbor, and they 
just reached her as her officer was obliged to weigh 
anchor to prevent her being driven upon the enemy's 
gun-boats. 

In October, 1804, he was ordered to the Consti- 
tutiou. Captain Rodgers having been promoted to a 
lieutenancy, and again went to the Mediterranean. 
During this cruise he visited Italy and with Captain 
Rodgers ascended Mount Vesuvius and explored the 
ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum. 

While third lieutenant on the Chesapeake, 40 guns. 
Captain Gordon, the disgraceful affair with the British 
ship Leopard, Captain Humphries, took place, June 22, 
1807. We give the account in Allen's own words : 

" On Monday, June 2d, we weighed anchor and stood to sea. 
The Chesapeake had on this day twenty-eight i8-pounders mounted 
on her gun-deck, twelve 3 2 -pound carronades on the quarter-deck 
and had fitted for these guns, three hundred and twenty car- 
tridges, thirteen powder-horns (not sufficiently filled) and matches 
ready for action. All these were in the magazine, the keys in charge 
of the captain, as usual, and which are never delivered to any one 
but the gunner by the captain for fear of accidents. In the cable 
ties and around the foremast, one thousand wads and sponges ; the 
guns loaded and shotted, but of course not primed. Round shots 
in the locker were ready on deck with a box of cannister for each 
gun. 



JVilliam Henry Allen. 



295 



" At three the Leopard came within hail ; at half-past three the 
boat came on board with a demand from Captain Humphries for 
permission to search the Chesapeake for deserters. The orders 
of the admiral were ' you, will offer to the commander of the Chesa- 
peake a mutual search ; and any event take the men described 
wherever they may be found.' Here was a demand which our com- 
mander knew he must absolutely refuse. Why did he not order his 




Chesapeake and Leopard, 



From an old ivood-ctit. 



men beat to quarters, detaining the lieutenant and his boat until we 
were ready for action ? 

" But no ! He gave a positive refusal, which in composing, 
penning and copying detained the lieutenant half an hour. Our 
commodore did not order his men beat to quarters until the first 
gun was fired, nor until then was the key delivered to the gunner, 
all the officers remaining at this time in perfect ignorance of the 
contents of the note. I was at the galley (the camboose) and 
snatching up a coal from the flames, fired the only gun, which went 



296 American Naval Heroes. 

through the ward-room of the Enghsh ship. A shot came into us, 
and struck a man on the breast — he fell at my feet, covering me 
with blood and splinters of bones. One of my guns sufifered 
severely ; one gunner had his leg carried away, two an arm each, 
and two more were wounded severely — five out of eight. After 
one gun — one single gun — was fired we struck by order of the 
captain, who then called his ofificers into his cabin and asked their 
opinions. My answer was " Sir, you have disgraced us.'' 

The following is the address to the secretary of the 
navy composed and penned by Lieutenant Allen at the 
request of his fellow officers. 

Late United States Ship Chesapeake, 

Hampton Roads, June 23, 1807. 
Sir, 

The undersigned officers of the late United States' ship Ches- 
apeake, deeply sensible of the disgrace which must be attached to 
the late (in their opinion) premature surrender of the United States' 
ship Chesapeake of 40 guns, to the English ship of war Leopard of 
50 guns, without their previous knowledge or consent ; and desirous 
of proving to their country and the world that it was the wish of all 
the undersigned to have rendered themselres worthy of the flag 
under which they have the honor to serve, by a determined resist- 
ance to an unjust demand, do request the honorable, the secretary 
of the navy, to order a court of inquiry into their conduct. At the 
same time they are compelled by imperious duty, by the honor of 
their flag, by the honor of their countrymen and by all that is dear 
to themselves, to request that an order may be issued for the arrest 
of Commodore Barron on the charges herewith exhibited, which the 
undersigned pledge themselves to prove true. 

1. On the probability of an engagement for neglecting to 
clear his ship for action. 

2. For not doing his utmost to take or destroy a vessel which 
we conceive it his duty to have done. 

Benjamin Smith, ist Lieutenant. 
William Crane, 2d Lieutenant. 
William Henry Allen, 3d Lieutenant. 
L. Orde Creighton, 4th Lieutenant. 
Sydney Smith, 5 th Lieutenant. 
Samuel Brookes, Sailing Master. 



William Hemy Allen. 297 

This request resulted in the court-martial of Com- 
modore Barron, Captain Gordon, Captain Hall of the 
marines and the gunner. Barron was suspended 
without pay for five years ; Gordon was privately rep- 
remanded, as was Hall, while the sfunnerwas cashiered 
for not having his priming-horns filled. 

During the embargo of 1808. Lieutenant Allen was 
employed in cruising off Block Island in the frigate 
Chesapeake, for the purpose of intercepting and seiz- 
ing such vessels as were attempting a violation of 
that law. This brought him in daily contact with 
vessels from his native state, and with men who 
were his father's friends and neighbors. He was 
often asked even by his own father, to interfere in 
behalf of some friend detained by the operation of the 
embargo act. To such a request from his father he 
replied : 

" Nothing, my dear sir, could give me more pleas- 
ure than to have been useful or instrumental in serv- 
ing those young gentlemen you spoke of in your let- 
ter ; it requires no request of yours to induce it ; but 
vain are our desires — impotent the will that exceeds 
the means of performance. This has been my lot and 
I believe that of many in the Chesapeake. Need I say 
that my feelings have ever been on the rack while 
cruising off the island ! But sir, had this been your 
vessel, her situation would have been precisely the 
same. It is impossible that I can be of the least ser- 
vice to those young gentlemen." 



298 



American Naval Heroes. 



In 1809 he was promoted first lieutenant on 
board the frigate United States, Commodore Decatur, 
which was fitting out in the navy yard at Washing- 
ton, and in the absence of the commodore, he for two 
months gave his unremitting supervision to the prep- 
aration of the ship for sea. In the frigate he made 
several short cruises. After war was declared the 




United States and Macedonian. 
From aji old vood-cnt engraved /« li^l- 

United States sailed on a cruise and on October 25, 
18 1 2, fell in with the British frigate Macedonia?^, 49 
guns, one of the finest frigates in the British navy, 
commanded by Captain John S. Corden. The enemy 
had the advantage of the wind and fought the United 
States at his own distance, and the action continued 
for one hour and fifty minutes. 



William Henry Allen. 299 

So tremendous was the fire kept up by the Ameri- 
can frigate that the British sailors shouted several 
times supposing that the Uniled States was in flames. 
The Macedonian lost her mizzenmast and fore-top- 
masts and main yard before she struck, having lost 
thirty-six killed and sixty-eight wounded, while the 
United States lost but four killed and seven wounded, 
and she could easily have continued her cruise had 
not Commodore Decatur thought It of the first con- 
sequence to convoy his prize into port. 

The difficult task of bringing the shattered and 
sinking Macedonian into port was entrusted to Lieu- 
tenant Allen, and when he triumphantly entered New 
York harbor with the American eagle looking down 
on the British cross, the enthusiasm of the people 
who lined the docks and water front was unbounded. 

He next conducted Mr. Crawford, appointed to 
succeed Mr. Barlow, deceased, as United States 
minister to France, on board the Argns. He was 
appointed to the rank of master-commandant but 
did not receive his commission before he sailed as 
it was delayed in transmission. 

He passed safely through the British blockading 
squadron and in twenty-three days reached L'Orient, 
and on June 12, 1813, wrote to the secretary of the 
navy, " I shall immediately proceed to put in execu- 
tion, my orders, as to the ulterior purposes of my 
destination." These appear to have been to destroy 
the Enorlish commerce in the Irish channel. His 



;oo 



Atnericaii Naval Heroes. 



injury to British ships and cargoes was about two 
milHon five hundred thousand dollars. On August 
14th he fell in with the British ship Pelican, and the 
account of the meeting is given in the official report of 
Lieutenant Watson. 



^^^ 




United States and Macedonian. 
Fro>n an old ivood-cut. 

Norfolk, March, 2, 1815. 
Sir — Circumstances during my residence in England having 
heretofore prevented my attention to the painful duty which 
devolved on me by the death of my gallant commander, Captain 
William H. Allen of the United States brig Argus, I have now 
the honor to state for your information that, having landed the 
minister plenipotentiary (Mr. Crawford) and suite at L'Orient, we 
proceeded on the cruise which had been directed by the depart- 
ment, and after capturing twenty vessels (a Hst of the names and 



William Henry Allen. 301 

other particulars of which I have the honor to enclose) being in 
latitude 52°, 15' north, longitude 5°, 30' west, on the 14th of 
August, 1 8 13, we discovered at four o'clock, a. m., a large brig- 
of-war standing down under a press of sail, upon our weather 
quarter. The wind being at south and the Argus close hauled on 
the starboard tack, we immediately prepared to receive her ; and at 
4.30, being unable to get the weather-gage, we shortened sail and 
gave her an opportunity of closing. At six the brig having dis- 
played the English colors, we hoisted our flag, wore round and gave 
her the larboard broadside (being at this time within grape dis- 
tance) which was returned, and the action commenced within range 
of musketry. At six, poor Captain Allen was wounded, and at six- 
eight, being much exhausted by loss of blood, he was carried below. 
At SIX- twelve we lost our spritsail yard and the principal part of 
the standing rigging on the larboard side of the foremast. At this 
I received a wound on the head from a grape shot, and I was car- 
ried below, and W. H. Allen, Jr., succeeded to the command of the 
deck. * * * » The Argus having suffered so much in hull and 
rigging, and also in killed and wounded * * * I deemed it neces- 
sary to surrender, and was taken possession of by his Britannic 
Majesty's sloop the Pelican, of twenty-one carriage guns, sixteen 
32-pounders, four large 6's, and one 12-pound carronade. I hope 
this missive will meet your approbation, and that the result of this 
action, when the superior size and metal of our opponents, and the 
fatigue which the crew, etc., of the Argus underwent from the very 
rapid succession of captures, is considered, will not be thought 
unworthy of the flag under which we serve. 

The Ai\o-2is and her crew were carried into Ply- 
mouth, Eng., and the wounded captain of the Ar£'?is 
was carried to the Mill Prison hospital, where he died 
August 18, 18 13, and was buried in the church-yard 
of the church, in which the funeral services were read 
over his body with militg,ry honors. 




Q^(y(i7C7 



XXIV. 

DAVID PORTER. 

Commodore Porter's father and grandfather fought in behalf of the colonies, 
the one as commander of a merchant ship and the other in the regular es- 
tablishment — three of his sons were officers in the United States Navy, and his 
son, David Dixon Porter and his adopted son, David G. Farragut, the only two 
admirals in the United States Navy, fought their first battles on board his ship. 

David Porter was born in Boston, Mass., February 
I, 1780; son of Captain David Porter, who saw 
service in the American navy during the Revoki- 
tion, and was afterward commander of the revenue 
cutter Active, making his home in Baltimore, Mary- 
land. 

When sixteen years old young Porter sailed to the 
West Indies in his father's ship, and his next voyage 
was as mate of a ship sailing from Baltimore to Santo 
Domingo. On this voyage he was twice impressed 
on board a British ship, and in each instance he made 
his escape. He was without money or friends and 
was obliged to work his way home as a common sailor 
with a meagre supply of clothing in the winter season. 

Upon reaching home he obtained a midshipman's 
warrant on board the Constellation, Commodore Trux- 
ton, and saw his first sea fight on board that ship in 



304 America7i Naval Heroes. 

her action with the French frigate Insurgenie. His 
conduct in this battle won for him the commission of 
lieutenant and he sailed on the same ship under Com- 
modore Barron. His next vessel was the United 
States schooner Experiment, Lieutenant William 
Maley, cruising on the coast of Hispaniola, fighting 
French pirates and recapturing American ships. 

He then commanded the Auiphitrite, a pilot- 
boat schooner armed with 5 small swivel guns 
taken from the tops of the Constellation, and a crew 
of fifteen men. In this little vessel he gave battle to a 
French privateer mounting one long 12-pounder and 
several swivels, and manned with a crew of forty 
men. The privateer was accompanied by a prize 
ship and a large barge with thirty men and armed 
with swivels. Lieutenant Porter in the engagement 
lost his rudder, but made prize of the privateer and 
ship without the loss of a man, though several were 
wounded and his vessel much injured. The privateer 
had seven killed and fifteen wounded. 

His next voyage was as first lieutenant of the Ex- 
periinent, Captain Charles Stewart, against the French 
buccaneers operating in the West Indies and the cruise 
resulted in suppressing the outlaws and shutting up 
their ships in their own harbors. 

Both Captain Stewart and Lieutenant Porter were 
ordered to join the fleet fitting out for the Mediter- 
ranean and on reaching that station the Enterprise 
engaged the Tripoli, a corsair of superior force, which 



David Porter. 305 

she vanquished with Httle loss to the American 
schooner. In one of the encounters with a TripoHtan 
ketch, Lieutenant Porter was wounded in the thigh. 
He was on board the PJiiladelpJiia with Captain 
Bainbridge when that ship was grounded and cap- 
tured by the Tripohtans, and he shared mineteen 
month's imprisonment with the captain and crew. 

During this long confinement the American sailors, 
employed on the public works by the bashaw, formed 
a secret passage through which they were accustomed 
to visit the American officers confined in the castle, and 
communicate with them through a small hole in the 
wall of one of the rooms. The means of communica- 
tion was discovered and when the officer in charge of 
the castle rushed into the room where the officers of 
the Philadelphia were assembled, he demanded the 
name of the officer w^ho had planned the means of 
communication. Lieutenant Porter at once announced 
himself as the culprit and he was hurried away from 
his fellow officers, to what fate they knew not. After 
some days of anxiety on the part of all, he was returned 
to the room unharmed. This anecdote of the heroism 
of Porter was the subject of admiration for the entire 
period of their confinement. 

After being released he was appointed to the com- 
mand of the Enterprise, and ordered to Tripoli. On 
more than one occasion he vindicated the honor of the 
fiaof, and when for an insult to the American standard 
he ordered the Hogging of a British sailor on the 



3o6 American Naval Heroes. 

gangway of the Enterprise, the governor of Malta, 
where the brig was at anchor, took up the affair and 
directed the forts to prevent the Enterprise from 
departing. On learning of this order Captain Porter 
instantly made sail, called his men to quarters, and 
with lighted matches and in the attitude of firing 
upon the town should any obstruction be thrown in 
his way, he safely left the harbor. 

He then passed through the Straits of Gibraltar 
in sight of the town and the British squadron in 
the harbor, and he was attacked by twelve Spanish 
gun-boats which he compelled to retire. The exploit 
was witnessed by the officers and men on the British 
fleet as well as by inhabitants of the town. 

After an absence of five years Captain Porter re- 
turned to his home and was married to the daughter 
of Representative Anderson, member of Congress for 
Pennsylvania. He was then assigned to the com- 
mand of the flotilla assembled on the New Orleans 
station, where he enforced the embargo and non-inter- 
course laws vigorously and faithfully. He next com- 
manded the frigate Essex at Norfolk, and when the 
War of 1812 broke out sailed in that vessel from New 
York, July 3, 18 12, on a cruise. When outside that 
port he was attacked by the British sloop-of-war Alert, 
Captain Thomas L. P. Langhorne. the ship bearing 
down upon the weather quarter of the Essex. The 
English crew gave three cheers and opened the action. 
The contest was short, as after a few broadsides the 



David Porter. 



307 



Alert surrendered to the Essex, and Captain Porter 
was the first commander in the War of 18 12 to cap- 
ture a British ship-of-war. He carried her flag home 
and sent it to Washington as a trophy, the first of 
the war deposited in the navy department. 

Captain Porter repaired his ship and sailed from 




Essex and Alert. 
From an ohi ivood-cut engraved in 1S31. 

the Delaware, October 27, 18 12, for the coast of Brazil. 
He captured the British packet N'octon, 10 guns and 
thirty-one men, having on board eleven thousand 
pounds sterling in money, and after taking out her 
money he sent the prize to the United States. 

Circumstances made it inexpedient for Captain 
Porter to remain longer on the coast, as Commodore 
Bainbridge had captured the ^ava and would probably 



3o8 American Naval Heroes. 

return home for repairs, the Hornet had been cap- 
tured by the Mo7ttagne, and the coast was swarming 
with hostile ships, all in search of the Essex. He 
therefore skirted along the coast of South America 
and doubled the Horn in a severe storm. He suffered 
greatly from a panic among the crew and arrived at 
Valparaiso on March 14, 18 13. Here he replenished 
his stores, and finding that the Peruvians had been 
making prizes of American whaling vessels and 
imprisoning their crews, he therefore captured the 
Peruvian privateer Nereyda, and threw all her guns 
and ammunition into the sea. On board the vessel he 
found twenty-four Americans, the crews of two whale- 
men held prisoners. These men Captain Porter lib- 
erated and he wrote an account of his proceedings 
to the Peruvian viceroy giving his reasons for his acts. 
Captain Porter afterward re-captured one of the 
whalemen as she was entering the harbor of Lima. 

In the Pacific, Captain Porter found that he had a 
clear field and but slight opposition. The British 
government had not anticipated the bold movement of 
Porter and supposed that their commerce in the Pacific 
was safe, while they had the American whalemen at 
their mercy. 

The advent of the Essex changed the condition 
and Captain Porter made great havoc among the 
British whalers. He captured the Barclay, the Mon- 
tezuma, the Georgiana and the Policy, and converted 
two of these into American cruisers. They were both 



David Porter, 309 

pierced for 18 guns and took their crews out of the 
Essex, which ship had an extra complement of both 
officers and men. The Georgiaiia became known as 
the Essex yunior, Lieutenant Downs. His prizes 
afforded him an abundance of provisions, clothing, 
medicine, naval stores and money with which to pay 
liberally both officers and men. 

There was now danger that the news of the exploits 
of the Essex and her escorts would reach the British 
admiralty and that a large force would be despatched 
to capture her. 

Lieutenant Downs learned at Valparaiso, to which 
port he had conveyed a number of prizes, that the 
British frigate Phcebe, 36 guns. Commodore Hillyar, 
with two sloops of war was expected. 

To meet this frigate and close his expedition with 
an exploit more brilliant than the capture of merchant- 
men and whalers, Captain Porter proceeded to repair 
the Essex and put her in fighting trim. He sailed 
to the island of Nukahiva, one of the Washington 
groups, and there repaired the Essex with the material 
captured on board his prizes. On November 19, 18 13, 
he took possession of the island in the name of the 
United States and called it Madison Island. It was 
large, fertile and populous. The natives were friendly 
and supplied him with an abundance of provisions, 
Captain Porter in return marching his ship's crew 
against some neighboring tribes and subjugating 
them. 



31 o American Naval Heroes. 

He sailed for the coast of Chili with the three 
prizes which he had brought with him on December 
13, 18 1 3. He then proceeded to Valparaiso in search 
of Commodore Hillyar. The account of the meeting 
and the action that ensued in the month of March, 
18 14, and the hopes, feelings and expectations of Com- 
modore Porter on that occasion is given in his own 
words as extracted from his letter on the subject 
to the secretary of the navy, dated at sea July, 3, 
1814. 

" The Phoebe, agreeably to my expectations, came to seek me 
at Valparaiso, where I was anchored with the Essex. My armed 
prize, the Essex Junior, under the command of Lieutenant Downes, 
on the lookout off the harbor. But contrary to the course I thought 
he would pursue. Commodore Hillyar brought with him the Cherub, 
sloop-of-war, mounting 28 guns, eighteen 3 2 -pound carronades, 
eight 24's, and two long 9's on the quarter-deck and forecastle, and 
a complement of one hundred and eighty men. The force of the 
Phoebe is as follows: thirty long i8-pounders, sixteen 32-pound 
carronades, one howitzer, and six 3-pounders in the tops, in all 
53 guns and a complement of three hundred and twenty men; 
making a force of 8 1 guns and five hundred men ; in addition to 
which they took on board the crew of an English letter of marque 
lying in port. Both ships had picked crews, and were sent into the 
Pacific in company with the Racoon of 22 guns, and a store ship of 
20 guns for the express purpose of seeking the Essex, and were 
prepared with flags bearing the motto, " God and country ; British 
sailors' best rights ; Traitors offend both." This was intended as a 
reply to my motto, " Eree Trade and Sailors^ Rights,''^ under the 
erroneous impression that my crew were chiefly Englishmen, or to 
counteract its effect on their own crews. The force of the Essex 
was 46 guns, forty 32-pound carronades, and six long 12's; and 
her crew, which had been much reduced by manning prizes, 
amounted only to two hundred and fifty men. The Essex Junior, 
which was intended chiefly as a storeship, mounted 20 guns, ten 
18-pound carronades and ten short 6's, with only sixty men on 



David Portej- 



1 1 



board. In reply to their motto, I wrote at my mizzen, " God, our 
Country, and Liberty; Tyrants offend them." 

On getting their provisions on board they went off the port 
for the purpose of blockading me, where they cruised for near six 
weeks ; during which time I endeavored to provoke a challenge, 
and frequently, but ineffectually to bring the Pluvbe alone to action, 
first with both my ships, and afterward with my single ship, with 
both crews on board. I was several times under way, and ascer- 
tained that I had greatly the advantage in point of sailing, and once 
succeeded in closing within gunshot of the PJmbe, and commenced 




Essex and British Frigates in the Harbor of Valparaiso. 
From an old wood-cut engraved in 1831. 

a fire on her, when she ran down for the Cherub, which was two 
and a half miles to leeward ; this excited some surprise and expres- 
sions of indignation, as previous to my getting under way, she hove 
to off the port, hoisted her motto flag and fired a gun to windward. 
Commodore Hillyar seemed determined to avoid a contest with me 
on nearly equal terms, and from his extreme prudence in keeping 
both his ships ever after, constantly within hail of each other, there 
were no hopes of any advantages to my country from a longer stay 
in port. I therefore determined to put to sea the first opportunity 
which should offer ; and I was the more strongly induced to do so as 
I had gained certain intelligence that the Tagus, rated t,2>, and two 



312 American Naval Heroes. 

other frigates, had sailed for that sea in pursuit of me ; and I had 
reason to expect the arrival of the Racoon from the north-west coast 
of America, where she had been sent for the purpose of destroying 
our fur establishment on the Columbia. A rendezvous was appointed 
for the Essex Junior and every arrangement made for sailing, and I 
intended togetthem chase me off, to give the ^i'i'^jcy>/«/(?r an oppor- 
tunity of escaping. On the 28th of March, the day after this deter- 
mination was formed, the wind came on to blow fresh from the south- 
ward, when I parted my larboard cable and dragged my starboard 
anchor directly out to sea. Not a moment was to be lost in getting 
sail on the ship. The enemy were close in with the point forming 
the west side of the bay ; but on opening them, I saw a prospect of 
passing to windward, when I took in my top-gallantsails, which were 
set over single-reefed topsails, and braced up for this purpose ; but 
on rounding the point, a heavy squall struck the ship and carried 
away her main top- mast, precipitating the men who were aloft into 
sea, who were drowned. Both ships now gave chase to me, and 
I endeavored in my disabled state to regain the port ; but finding I 
could not recover the common anchorage, I ran close into a small 
bay about three-quarters of a mile to leeward of the battery on the 
east side of the harbor, and let go my anchor within pistol shot of 
the shore where I intended to repair my damages as soon as pos- 
sible. The enemy continued to approach and showed an evident 
intention of attacking, regardless of the neutrality of the place where 
I was anchored ; and the caution observed in their approach to the 
attack of the crippled Essex was truly ridiculous as was their dis- 
play of their motto flags and the number of jacks at all their mast 
heads. I with as much expedition as circumstances would permit 
of, got my ship ready for action and endeavored to get a spring 
on my cable, but had not succeeded when the enemy at fifty-four 
minutes after 3 p. m. made his attack, the FJuvbe placing herself 
under my stern and the Cherub on my starboard bow ; 1 ut the 
Cherub, soon finding her situation a hot one, bore up, and ran under 
my stern also, where both ships kept up a hot, raking fire. I had 
got three long 1 2 -pounders out of the stern ports, which were worked 
with so much bravery and skill, that in half an hour we so disabled 
both, as to compel them to haul off to repair damages. \ In the 
course of this firing, I had by the great exertions of Mr. Edward 
Barnewell, the acting sailing-master assisted by Mr. Linscott, the 
boatswain, succeeded in getting springs on our cable three different 



David Porter. 313 

times ; but the fire of the enemy was so excessive that before we 
could get our broadside to bear they were shot away and thus ren- 
dered useless to us. J 

My ship had received many injuries, and several had been 
killed and wounded ; but my brave officers and men, notwithstand- 
ing the unfavorable circumstances under which we were brought to 
action, and the powerful force opposed to us, were no ways dis- 
couraged — all appeared determined to defend their ship to the 
last extremity, and to die in preference to a shameful surrender. 
Our gaff, with the ensign and motto flag at the mizzen, had been 
shot away, but '■^ Free Trade and Sailors'- Rights'' continued to fly 
at the fore. Our ensign was replaced by another ; and to guard 
against a similar event an ensign was made fast in the mizzen rig- 
ging, and several jacks were hoisted in different parts of the ship. 
The enemy soon repaired his damages for a fresh attack. He now 
placed himself, with both his ships, on my starboard quarter, out of 
the reach of my carronades, and where my stern guns could not be 
brought to bear. He there kept up a most gallant fire, which it 
was out of my power to return, when I saw no prospect of injuring 
him without getting under way and becoming the assailant. My 
topsail sheets and halyards were all shot away, as well as the jib and 
fore top-mast staysail halyards ; and that being the only sail I could 
set, I caused it to be hoisted, my cable to be cut, and ran down on 
both ships, with an intention of laying the Phcebe on board. The 
firing on both sides was now tremendous ; I had let fall my fore- 
topsail and foresail, but the want of tacks and sheets rendered them 
almost useless to us, yet we were enabled for a short tune to close 
with the ene*my ; and although our decks were now strewed with 
dead, and our cockpit filled with wounded, although our ship had 
been several times on fire, and was rendered a perfect wreck, we 
were still encouraged to hope to save her, from the circumstance of 
the Cherub from her crippled state being compelled to haul off. 
She did not return to close action again, although she apparently had 
it her in power to do so, but kept up a distant firing with her long 
guns. The Pha^be, from our disabled state, was enabled, however, 
by edging off, to choose the distance which best suited her long guns, 
and kept up a tremendous fire on us, which mowed down my brave 
companions by the dozen. Many of my guns had bf en rendered 
useless by the enemy's shot, and many of them had had their 
whole crews destroyed. We manned them again from those which 



314 America7i Naval Heroes. 

were disabled, and one gun in particular was three times manned — 
fifteen men were slain at it in the course of the action ! but strange 
as it may appear the captain of it escaped with only a slight wound. 

Finding that the enemy had it in his power to choose his dis- 
tance I now gave up all hopes of closing with him, and as the wind, 
for the moment, seemed to favor the design, I determined to 
endeavor to run her on shore, land my men and destroy her. 
Everything seemed to favor my wishes. We had approached the 
shore within musket shot, and 1 had no doubt of succeeding, when, 
in an instant, the wind shifted from the land (as is very common in 
this port in the latter part of the day), and payed our head down on 
the Phoebe, where we were again exposed to a dreadful raking fire. 

My ship was now totally unmanageable ; yet as her head was 
toward the enemy, and he to leeward of me, I still hoped to be 
able to board her. At this moment Lieutenant-commandant 
Downes came on board to receive my orders, under the impression 
that I should soon be a prisoner. He could be of no use to me in 
the then wretched state of the Essex, and finding (from the enemy's 
putting his helm up) that my last attempt at boarding would not 
succeed, I directed him, after he had been about ten minutes on 
board, to return to his own ship, to be prepared for defending and 
destroying her in case of an attack. He took with him several of 
my wounded, leaving three of his boat's crew on board to make 
room for them. The Cherub now had an opportunity of distin- 
guishing herself by keeping up a hot fire on him during his return. 
The slaughter on board my ship had now become horrible, the 
enemy continuing to rake us, and we unable to bring a gun to bear. 

I therefore directed a hawser to be bent to the sheet anchor, 
and the anchor to be cut from the bows to bring her head round ; 
this succeeded. We again got our broadside to bear, and as the 
enemy was much crippled and unable to hold his own, I have no 
doubt he would soon have drifted out of gunshot before he discov- 
ered we had anchored, had not the hawser unfortunately parted. My 
ship had taken fire several times during the action, but alarmingly so 
forward and aft at this moment. The flames were bursting up each 
hatchway and no hopes were entertained of saving her. Our distance 
from the shore did not exceed three-quarters of a mile, and I hoped 
many of my brave crew would be able to save themselves, should 
the ship blow up, as I was informed the fire was near the magazine, 
and the explosion of a large quantity of powder below served to 
increase the horrors of our situation. Our boats were destroyed 



David Porter'. 



^5 



by the enemy's shot ; I therefore directed those who could swim to 
jump overboard, and endeavor to gain the shore. Some reached it, 
some were taken by the enemy, and some perished in the attempt ; 
but most preferred sharing with me the fate of the ship. 

We who remained now turned our attention to extinguishing the 
flames ; and when we had succeeded went again to our guns, where 
the firing was kept up for some minutes. But the crew had by 
this time become so weakened that they all declared to me the 
impossibility of making further resistance, and entreated me to 
surrender my ship to save my wounded, as all further attempts at 
opposition must prove ineffectual, almost every gun being dis- 
abled by the destruction of the crews. I now sent for the officers 
of divisions to consult them ; but what was my surprise to find only 
Acting-lieutenant Stephen Decatut M' Knight remaining, who con- 
firmed the report respecting the condition of the guns on the gun- 
deck — those on the spar-deck were not in a better state. 

Lieutenant Wilmer, after fighting most gallantly throughout the 
action, had been knocked overboard by a splinter while getting the 
sheet anchor from the bows, and was drowned. Acting-lieutenant 
J. G. Cowell had lost a leg ; Mr. Edward Barnewell, acting sailing 
mister, had been carried below after receiving two severe wounds, 
one in the breast and one in the face; and Acting-lieutenant 
William H. Odenheimer had been knocked overboard from the 
quarter an instant before and did not regain the ship until after the 
surrender. J 

I was informed that the cockpit, the steerage, the ward-room 
and the birth-deck could contain no more wounded ; that some of 
the wounded were killed while the surgeons were dressing them and 
that unless something was speedily done to prevent it the ship would 
soon sink from the number of holes in her bottom. On sending 
for the carpenter he informed me that all his crew had been killed 
or wounded and that he had once been over the side to stop the 
leaks when his sling had been shot away and it was with difficulty 
he was saved from drowning. The enemy, from the smoothness of 
the water and the impossibility of ever reaching him with our car- 
ronades and the little apprehension that was excited by our fire, 
which had now become much slackened, was enabled to take aim at 
us as at a target ; his shot never missed our hull and my ship was 
cut up in a manner which was perhaps never before witnessed — in 
fine I saw no hope of saving her and at twenty minutes past 6 p. m. 
gave the painful order to strike the colors. 



v5 



1 6 AinericiDi A'aval Heroes. 



Seventy-five men, including officers, were all that remained of 
my whole crew capable of doing duty and many of them severely 
wounded, some of whom have since died. The enemy still con- 
tinued to fire and my brave though unfortunate companions were 
still falling about me. I directed an opposite gun to be fired to 
show them we intended no further resistance but they did not 
desist ; four men were killed at my side and others in different parts 
of the ship. I now believed he intended to show us no quarter and 
that it would be as well to die with my flag flying and I was about 
on the point of hoisting it, when about ten minutes after hauling the 
colors down he ceased firing. 

We have been unfortunate but not disgraced — the defense of 
the Essex has not been less honorable to her officers and crew than 
the capture of an equal force, and I now consider my situation 
less unpleasant than that of Commodore Hillyar, who in violation of 
every principle of honor and generosity, and regardless of the rights 
of nations, attacked the Essex in her crippled state within pistol 
shot of a neutral shore ; when for six weeks I had daily offered him 
fair and honorable combat on terms greatly to his advantage. The 
blood of the slain must be on his head and he has yet to reconcile 
his conduct to Heaven, to his conscience and to the world. 

On his return home in the Essex Junior, Com- 
modore Porter was made commissioner of the navy. 
In 1823, when it was decided to fit out an expedition 
to suppress the pirates operating in the West Indies, 
he resigned his commissionership and took command 
of the expedition, giving his personal attention to the 
selection of the vessels and their preparation for the 
service. 

He took his squadron to sea on Feb. 14, 1823, 
hoisting his broad pennant on board the Peacock. He 
arrived off Porto Rico where he sent a letter to the 
governor in relation to the interruption of American 
commerce by Porto Rico privateers, and also on the 



David Porter. 3 1 7 

subject of his contemplated blockade of their coasts. 
He despatched this letter March 3, 1823, by Captain 
John Porter on board the GreyJiound into the port of 
San Juan, and on the 5th ordered Lieutenant W. H. 
Cooke in command of the Fox to enter the same har- 
bor to ascertain the probabilities of receiving an an- 
swer to his letter. As Lieutenant Cooke was on his 
way to execute this order he was killed by a shot from 
the castle which opened a heavy fire upon the schooner 
and obliged her to come to anchor under the guns of 
the castle. It appears that the commander of the fleet 
had criven orders to allow no more of the American 
fleet to enter the harbor during the absence of the 
governor, but Commodore Porter would not receive 
such a plea and referred the whole matter to the gov- 
ernment at Washington. 

He now divided his fleet in small detachments and 
distributed them along the entire coast of Cuba and 
Porto Rico. He established a naval depot at Key 
West, where he reassembled his squadron and made it 
the center of his operations and the rendezvous of his 
vessels after their short cruises. The result of this 
policy was reported April 24, 1823, by Commodore 
Porter, " I believe I can now say with safety that there 
is not a pirate afloat on the northern coast of Cuba, 
larger than an open boat." On May 19 he writes to the 
secretary of the navy, " I have the honor to inform you 
that not a single piratical act has been committed on the 
coast of Cuba since I organized and arrayed my forces." 



3i8 American Naval Heroes. 

In August a malignant fever broke out at Key 
West and many of the sailors were victims to the 
epidemic. Commodore Porter was prostrated and 
without awaiting orders he directed the squadron to 
return home. After the men had recovered he re- 
turned with the vessels to the station. 

In October, 1824, Lieutenant Piatt of the Beagle 
was informed of the robbery of an American mercantile 
house in St. Thomas and traced the goods to Foxordo, 
a small port on the extreme eastern part of Porto Rico, 
He anchored in the harbor and waited on the proper 
civil authorities, who demanded to see his commission, 
pronounced it a forgery, and charging him with being 
a pirate arrested him and Lieutenant Ritchie who was 
with him and kept them under guard for a whole day. 

After various insults they were permitted to return 
to their vessel. When the Beagle was running up the 
coast she met the Commodore's flagship JoJui Adams 
and Lieutenant Piatt reported the treatment to Com- 
modore Porter, who deemed the act an insult to the 
American flag which must be atoned for. As the flag- 
ship drew too much water to enter the harbor, she was 
anchored at a safe distance and the Commodore took 
the Beagle and the Grampus with the boats of the 
JoJin Adams, under Captain Dallas her commander, 
and entered the harbor of Foxordo, He addressed a 
letter to the alcalde demanding explanation and atone- 
ment, under pain of making the town responsible, and 
gave one hour for an answer. The letter was sent by 



David Porter. 3 1 9 

a lieutenant under a flag of truce. As the vessels 
came to anchor, Commodore Porter perceived a shore 
battery making preparation for action and he sent a 
detachment of seamen and marines to take this battery 
and spike the guns, which they promptly did without 
much opposition on the part of the Spanish garrison. 

He then headed two hundred men and moved 
towards the town. A battery of two guns that com- 
manded the road over which they were marching, was 
captured and spiked. In half an hour the town was 
reached and was found prepared for a defense. The 
party then halted and awaited the return of the flag 
of truce. The alcalde and captain of the ports ap- 
peared and apologized to Lieutenant Piatt in person, 
promising to thereafter respect the American flag. 
The Americans then marched through the town and 
returned to their vessels. 

Commodore Porter reported his act to the govern- 
ment and was ordered home and court-martialed. He 
based his defense on three grounds in the law of na- 
tions, American precedents and the orders of the de- 
partment. He was however suspended from the ser- 
vice for six months and the President approved the 
findings of the court and the sentence. 

This action on the part of his government so dis- 
pleased Porter that he resigned and entered the Mexi- 
can service, where he received the appointment of 
commander-in-chief of the naval forces with a salary of 
$25,000 a year. 



320 



American Naval Hei^oes. 



Captain Lewis Warrington was appointed to suc- 
ceed Commodore Porter, who remained in the Mex- 
ican service until 1829, when he returned home and 
was appointed by President Jackson consul-general at 
Algiers. This post he occupied till the conquest of 
Algiers by the French, when he was made charge 
d'affaires at Constantinople. He visited the United 
States and returned to the Porte with the accredited 
appointment as United States minister. 

He died in Pera, a suburb of Constantinople, 
Turkey, March 28, 1843, ^^^ his body was brought 
to the United States and buried in the grounds of the 
naval asylum near Philadelphia. 




XXV. 

JAMES BARRON. 

" Commodore Barron is chiefly known to the present generaion for his en- 
counter, when in command of the Chesapeake, with the British frigate Leopard 
in time of peace, and the duel in which he killed Commodore Decatur." Apple- 
ton'' s CyclopiEiiia of American Biography. 

This unfortunate naval officer was born in Virginia, 
in 1769. He was tlie son of Captain Barron, the com- 
mander of the Colonial navy of Virginia, during the 
war of the American revolution and was himself, as a 
boy, an apprentice on his father's ship and saw service 
in that war. He entered the United States service as 
a lieutenant on the frio^ate United States under Commo- 
dore Barry in 1798, and was promoted captain in 1799 
for important services rendered on the United States. 

His brother, Commodore Samuel Barron, was sent 
out on the President as flagship with a fleet, to co- 
operate with Commodore Preble in the Mediterranean, 
and reached that station shortly after the destruction 
of the PJiiladelphia. With this fleet Captain James 
Barron commanded the frigate Essex, 32 guns, and to 
his ship was entrusted the United States ambassador 
to the bashaw of Tripoli, empowered to make terms 
of peace. Commodore Stephen Barron superceded 
Commodore Preble and transferred his flag from the 
President to the Constitntion, and made his brother 




Qjci^n\^ /j coy^t^^h^-^ 



James Barron. 323 

commander of the Preside7it, transferring Captain Cox, 
who only ranked as master-commander, to the Essex. 

A treaty was signed, June 3, 1805, which termi- 
nated the war with TripoH. 

The outrages of Enghsh captains in searching 
American vessels, even men-of-war, for deserters, and 
the arrogance displayed when demanding the right to 
search, had so incensed the American people, that in 
1807, when the authorities awoke to the realization of 
a need for suitable frigates to resist this outrage, they 
found that the naval appropriation had been entirely 
expended in building gun-boats adapted for coast de- 
fense but not to cruising. 

The available frigates were in the Mediterranean 
where the Constitution, the flagship of that station, 
was to be relieved. The Chesapeake, which had been 
ordered into commission to take her place, was hastily 
fitted up, and Captain Charles Gordon, the youngest 
master-commandant on the list, was assigned to the 
frigate, May 15, 1807. Captain Barron was promoted 
commodore, May 15, and was ordered to hoist his 
broad pennant on the Chesapeake, as flagship of the 
squadron, and sail to relieve Commodore Rodgers, at 
the Mediterranean station. 

At this time Captain Barron ranked as one of 
the most ready seamen that America had produced, 
although he had held only a secondary position in any 
sea-fight. Captain Gordon found, on passing Mount 
Vernon on his way from the navy yard to Norfolk, 



324 American A^aval Hei^oes. 

that of the twelve guns on board, none were in con- 
dition to fire the customary salute on passing Wash- 
ington's grave. When he reached Hampton Roads, 
June 4th, he anchored to receive the remaining guns 
and stores. 

On the 6th day of June Commander Barron paid 
the frigate his first visit. On the 14th Captain Gordon 
had shipped his guns and supplies, and had received 
on board a crew of 375 men. Between that date and 
the 2 2d the guns were put into position. The men 
were called to quarters only three times, and no oppor- 
tunity was found to exercise the guns. 

On June 22, 1807, the Chesapeake, -^^Z guns. Cap- 
tain Gordon, bearing the broad pennant of Commodore 
Barron, got under way. The same day he was hailed 
by the British frigate Leopard ten miles east of Cape 
Henry. Captain Humphrey, her commander, sent 
out a boat with an officer bearing Admiral Berkeley's 
instructions to search the frigate for deserters from 
the British navy. Commodore Barron refused to 
permit him to do so and allowed the officer to return to 
the Leopard with his answer. In about eight minutes 
and while the two frigates were within two hundred 
feet of each other the Leopard poured a broadside 
of solid shot and canister into the American frigate. 

The Chesapeake was taken by surprise and was 
wholly unprepared for a fight. The gun-deck was 
encumbered with lumber, the cables were not yet 
stowed away, four of the guns had not been adjusted 



y antes Bmn^on. 325 

to their carriages, and the powder horns for priming 
the guns were not in condition for use. 

The Leopard followed its first broadside by three 
others, and three of the men on the Chesapeake were 
killed and eighteen wounded. At the end of fifteen 
minutes of unresisted massacre the flag was struck by 
Commodore Barron, and just as it touched the taff-rail, 
Lieutenant Allen, with a burning coal in his fingers, 
applied it to one of the guns and hulled the Leopai-d, 
the single shot of resistance made by the Chesapeake. 
An English oflficer then came on board, mustered the 
ship's company and picked out a British sailor named 
Ratford with three other deserters, not named in 
Admiral Berkeley's orders to Captain Humphrey. 

When Commodore Barron offered to surrender 
the Chesapeake to the oflficer as a prize. Captain 
Humphrey declined to take possession, asserting that 
his duty had been accomplished. The Chesapeake 
returned to Norfolk, and Commodore Barron's con- 
duct was investigated by a naval court-martial. After 
a long trial he was found not guilty on all of the 
counts except as to failing to prepare instantly for 
action before allowing the English officer to depart 
with his answer to the demand to search his ship, and 
on that count he was found guilty and condemned to 
suspension for five years without pay. His orders 
from the secretary of war appear to extenuate this 
mistake, and the department was in a large measure 
at fault in sending out a ship before she was ready 



326 American Naval Heroes. 

for sea, although there appears to have been no pro- 
test made by either Captain Gordon or Commodore 
Barron when they went on board and assumed com- 
mand. 

Barron went to France where he found employ- 
ment in the French navy with a high commission and 
did not return to the United States until the expira- 
tion of his term of sentence. He then asked to be 
assigned to active duty but his action in deserting his 
country and taking service with an enemy, prejudiced 
the other officers of the navy against him and they 
entered a vigorous protest against his assignment. 
As he had been trained to the sea and had given his 
time to his country and had no other means of sup- 
port, he claimed when his government cut off that 
support that he had no recourse but to follow his 
trade under some other employer. 

Commodore Decatur was especially severe in his 
denunciation, and Barron challenged him to mortal 
combat. They met at Bladensburg, near Washing- 
ton, D. C, and Decatur was killed and Barron severely 
wounded.* 

The unfortunate affair increased Barron's unpopu- 
larity and he was kept in " waiting orders " until the 
time of his death. He became senior officer of the 
navy in 1839, and died in Norfolk, Va., April 21, 1851. 



* See particulars of the duel under sketch of Stephen Decatur, also another version of the 
engagement between the Chesapeake and the Leopard in the sketch of William Henry- Allen. 



XXVI. 

JAMES BIDDLE. 

"The neatness and dispatch with which the American sloop did her work, 
the coolness with which she met an attempt to board, the accuracy of her 
fire and handling, are all proofs of her having been a disciplined man-of-war, and 
of the high condition of that service in which she was one of the favorites." — 
Cooper. 

The hero of the victory of the Hornet over the 
British brig Peiigiiin, was born in Philadelphia, Febru- 
ary 1 8, 1783. He was given a warrant in the United 
States navy as midshipman in 1800, when he was seven- 
teen years old, and was under Bainbridge on the Phil- 
adelphia when that frigate was captured by the Turks 
off the harbor of Tripoli in 1803, and w^ith the other 
officers and crew he was confined in prison for nineteen 
months by the bashaw of Tripoli. On being released 
he was on ordinary duty until the war of 18 12 called 
out the best men to officer the new vessels of war, 
fitted out to meet the Royal navy of Great Britain and 
to prey upon the commerce of that proud and power- 
ful nation. 

Midshipman Biddle was promoted to a lieutenancy 
and was assigned to duty on the sloop-of-war JJ^asp, 
Captain Jacob Jones, and in the encounter with and 
capture of the British sloop Frolic on October 13, 
181 2, gave proof of his ability as an officer to that 



yaines Biddle. 329 

extent that when a commander was to be selected to 
carry the Frolic into port the choice of Captain Jones 
fell to Biddle. 

He had narrowly escaped death during the fight 
when the Frolic struck the American sloop as Captain 
Jones ran down on her with the Wasp, preparatory to 
finishing the business on hand, at short range or by 
boarding. A broadside followed the collision and 
before the gunners could reload. Lieutenant Biddle 
followed a seaman, John Long, to the deck of the 
Frolic, to find as they gained the forecastle only three 
officers in sight. These promptly surrendered to 
Lieutenant Biddle, who, upon discovering that the 
flag had not been struck, hauled it down with his 
own hands and carried it, with the officers' swords, on 
board the Wasp. 

As Lieutenant Biddle was proceeding with the 
Frolic to make the nearest Southern port, the British 
frigate Poicticrs appeared and took possession of the 
disabled prize, Lieutenant Biddle being in no condition 
either to fight or run away. He was carried into Ber- 
muda, where he was released in March, 18 13, having 
been exchanged. 

On reaching home he was promoted master-com- 
mandant, and placed in charge of the gun-boat flotilla 
on the Delaware, but soon afterward was transferred 
to the command of the Horiict, then blockaded 
in the port of New London, Conn., by a British 
squadron, where were also the United States and the 



2,2,0 American Naval Heroes. 

Macedonian laid up in ordinary, the Hornet protect- 
ing them. 

This service proving irksome to Captain Biddle, he 
asked to be relieved, and was finally given orders to join 
Commodore Decatur, at New York. He took advan- 
tage of the first favorable position of the blockading 
fleet to pass out, and in November, 1814, he joined the 
fleet at New York, made up of the Presidc7it, flag ship, 
the Peacock, Captain Warrington, the store-ship Tom 
Boivline and the Hornet, his own vessel. The fleet was 
detained in the harbor of New York till January, 18 15, 
when the Presidejit put to sea and was captured by 
the British frigate Endymion, 40 guns. 

The commanders of the Horiict, Peacock, and Tom 
Bowline, not being aware of the fate of the President, 
followed her to sea on the 22nd, while the blockading 
squadron was to the south and east, which enabled 
them to pass unmolested. 

Commodore Decatur had appointed the island of 
Tristan d' Acunha as the place of rendezvous and the 
Peacock and the Tom Bowline arrived about the 
middle of March, but were driven off the land by bad 
weather. The Hornet did not arrive till March 23rd, 
and as Captain Biddle was about to anchor, a sail was 
discovered to windward. He at once sheeted home 
his topsails and made for the chase which was run- 
ning before the wind. The Hornet then hove-to and 
awaited the stranger, which approached within mus- 
ketshot, came to the wind, set the English colors and 



y^ames Biddle. 



Vcy^ 



fired one gun. She was the British brig Penguin, 
1 8 guns. The i/c^/'/^t^/ thereupon luffed up, displayed 
her ensign and returned the challenge with a broadside. 
Both brigs kept up a furious cannonade for fifteen 
minutes, the Penguin gradually drifting nearer the 
Hornet whose repeated broadsides were doing effective 
work. Finding it impossible to stand to under the 




Hornet and Penguin. 
From an old ivood-cut engraved in iSjl. 

Hornets fire, the Penguin put helm up and ran down 
on the starboard broadside of the Hornet to lay her 
aboard. The bowsprit of the Penguin came over the 
deck of the Hornet between the main and mizzen rie- 
ging, where the British captain had directed his first 
lieutenant to lead a boarding party to the deck of the 
Hornet. 




Surrender of the Penguin. 



James Biddle. 333 

Captain Biddle at once called away boarders to 
repel boarders. His party was impatient to go into 
the deck of the enemy, but the commander wishing to 
take advantage of his position to rake the Penguin 
with a broadside, restrained the impetuous boarding 
party and fired a single broadside, when the sea lifted 
the Hoi^7iet and she shot ahead carrying away her 
mizzen rigging davits and spanker boom. 

This caused the Penguin to swing around and 
hang on the larboard quarter. Captain Biddle then 
sent the masters forward to set the foresails, in order 
to part the two ships, when an English oflficer on 
board the Penguin cried out that the vessel surren- 
dered. The firing had been kept up with small arms, 
the position of the two vessels preventing the use of 
the guns. Captain Biddle ordered all firing to cease 
and sprung upon the trafrail to inquire if the enemy 
submitted. 

He was within a short distance of the forcastle of 
the Penguin, and two marines on board fired at him 
with their muske'ts, a ball from one infiictinof a skin 
wound on his neck. The two marines were promptly 
killed by a discharge of musketry from the deck of the 
Hornet. The two vessels then parted, the Penguin 
leaving her bowspit and formast on the Hojniet's 
deck. 

As the Hornet rounded to and was ready to pour 
another broadside into the Penguiji a score of men 
appeared on the deck and forcastle of the vessel. 



334 American N^aval Heroes. 

holding up their hands and shouting that they had 
struck. 

The Penguin lost forteen killed, including her 
commander, Captain Dickerson, and the boatswain, 
and twenty-eight wounded, including a lieutenant, two 
midshipmen and the purser. The Hornet had one 
man killed, and ten wounded. 

Among the wounded besides Captain Biddle, was 
Lieutenant David Conner, whose life was considered 
in great danger for some time, and who for his bravery 
on this occasion was presented by Congress with a 
medal and by the state of Pennsylvania with a sword. 

The Pengiiin was so badly damaged that after 
getting out her stores and provisions, and removing 
her wounded she was scuttled on the morning of the 
25th of March, 1815. The Hornet had received no 
considerable damag-e, and soon made sail for the island 
when the strange sail that had hastened his action 
proved to be the Peacock and "the Tom Boivline in 
company. The latter was converted into a cartel and 
sent into San Salvador with the prisoners Captain 
Biddle was informed by the Macedonian, which brig 
had sailed with the frigate President, that the latter 
had probably been captured, and Captain Warrington 
determined to proceed on the original cruise with the 
remaining vessels. Commodore Decatur had in- 
structed them to remain at the island until April 13, 
181 5, and at the expiration of that time, they made 
their way toward the Indian seas. 



y nines Biddle. 335 

On the morning of the 27th of April, the Peacock 
made the signal of a stranger to the southward and 
eastward, and at once both sloops made sail in chase. 
The next morning the chase was in full sight. 

The Peacock was in advance, being the faster 
sailer, and Captain Warrington signalled that the 
vessel was a man-of-war, and an enemy. The Hornet 
at once hauled close upon the wind, and the Peacock 
passed ahead and soon got clear of the stranger. 
Captain Biddle, finding the English ship to be a very 
fast sailer, realized his dano-er, and begfan to lighten 
his brig, which was crowded with stores taken from the 
Penguin. Twelve tons of kentledge, a quantity of 
shot, and the heavier spars were thrown overboard. 

At daylight on the 29th, the Englishman was on 
the lee quarter of the Hovjiet and within gun-shot. 
At 7 a.m. she hoisted the English colors, showed a 
rear-admiral's flag and fired a broadside, the shot pass- 
ing over the Hornet. Captain Biddle then ordered 
the launch to be cut up, and the remaining anchors, 
chains, shot, and all heavy articles, including six of the 
guns, to be thrown overboard. 

By 9 a. m. the enemy fell astern, the concussion 
from his guns having deadened the wind, and to gain 
on the now flying Hornet, the guns were not fired. 
This enabled the enemy to close, and at 1 1 a. m. the 
Hornet threw overboard her remaining guns, the boats 
and all remaining shot and spars, besides cutting away 
her topgallant forecastle. By noon the enemy got 



33^ 



American Naval Heroes. 



within a mile and opened fire. A fortunate turn of 
the wind filled the Hornefs sails, and with so lieht 
a ship she fairly leaped over the white-caps, so that 
at sunset the enemy was a league astern. Captain 




Escape of the Hornet from a British Seventy-four. 



From an old wood-cut. 



Biddle made his way into San Salvador to obtain relief 
for the wounded, and then learned that peace had been 
declared. 

He then upon sailed for New York and reached 
that port July 20, 18 15, where he learned that he had 



James Biddle. ■x^-^'] 

been promoted to the rank of post-captain, while at 
sea. The citizens of New York gave him a state din- 
ner, his native city a service of plate, and Congress a 
gold medal. 

He asked for a court of inquiry to examine into his 
action in sacrificing his armament and freight, but the 
safe return of the Hornet served to acquit him of all 
blame, and the court commended the skill that had 
saved the brig from capture. 

He was continued in the service, and in 1817, while 
in command of the Pacific squadron, formally took 
possession of Oregon in the name of the United 
States. In 1826 he represented his government in the 
negotiation of a treaty of commerce with the Ottoman 
Empire. 

He was made governor of the naval asylum at 
Philadelphia, serving during the years 183 8- 1842, and 
it was at his suggestion that James K. Paulding, secre- 
tary of the navy, sent all unemployed midshipmen to 
the naval asylum for instruction. This school became 
the foundation of the United States naval academy, 
afterward removed to Annapolis, Md. 

In 1845, while flag-officer of the East India squad- 
ron, he negotiated the first treaty ever made between 
the United States and China, and afterward landed in 
Japan, the first American naval officer to visit that 
empire. During the Mexican war he was in com- 
mand on the California coast, and on October i. 1848, 
shortly after his return, he died in his native city. 



XXVII. 

WILLIAM BURROWS. 

«<**»* ^nd the president is also requested to communicate to the nearest 
male relation of Lieutenant Burrows the deep regret which Congress feels for 
the loss of that valuable officer, who died in the arms of victory, nobly contend- 
ing for his country's rights and fame." — Joint Resolution of Cottgress, Decem- 
ber, fS/j. 

The hero-martyr of the engagement between the 
Enterprise and the Boxer was born in Kensington, 
Pa., October 6, 1785. He was the son of Lieutenant- 
Colonel Burrows of the United States marine service, 
and was brought up in affluance, receiving a classical 
education. 

He was warranted a midshipman in the United 
States Navy in 1799, and was assigned to the Ports- 
nioiitJi, 24 guns, Captain McNiel. That vessel cap- 
tured two French privateers, the Tripoli and the Ami, 
and in 1803, when the Portsmouth went out of com- 
mission, he was transferred to the Constitution, Com- 
modore Preble, as acting-lieutenant, and he served in 
that capacity through the Tripolitan War. 

He returned to the United States in 1807, was 
commander of gun-boat No. 119 in the Delaware flo- 
tilla, and engaged in enforcing the embargo law. In 
1809 he was transferred to the President, Captain 
Bainbridge, and thence to the Horizet, Captain Hunt, 



340 Aniericaii Naval Heroes. 

as first lieutenant, and his skill and intrepidity is said 
to have saved the ship in a gale. 

Finding himself outranked by his former subor- 
dinates, he resigned his commission, but Secretary 
Hamilton would not receive it, and gave him leave of 
absence for one year, during which time he made a 
voyage on the TJiomas Penrose, Captain Ansley, from 
Philadelphia to Canton in the merchant service. On 
his return voyage the ship was captured by the British 
and carried into Barbadoes. On being paroled he 
returned home, and when exchanged he was assigned 
to the sloop-of-war Enterprise, i6 guns, as commander. 

He left Portsmouth, N. H., Septembers, 1813, and 
the next day fell in with the British brig Boxer, Cap- 
tain Blythe, with an armament of fourteen 18-pound 
carronades and two long 9-pounders. 

The Boxer fired a single gun as a challenge, 
hoisted the English colors and bore down upon the 
Enterprise. Lieutenant Burrows gained sufficient 
time by tacking to prepare his vessel for action, to 
try the sailing of the two vessels and to ascertain the 
force of his antagonist. He then shortened sail, 
hoisted three ensig^ns and fired three shots in answer 
to the challenge. 

The Boxer bore within half pistol-shot of the 
Enterprise, and her crew giving three cheers, she 
fired her starboard broadside. She was answered by 
three cheers from the American crew and a larboard 
broadside from the Enterprise, which having the 



J I lUiam BiLi^rows. 



341 



advantage of the wind ranged ahead of the Boxer, 
rounded to on the larboard tack and began a raking 
broadside. This brought down the main topsail and 
topsail-yards of the Boxer, when the Enterprise, tak- 
ing position on the starboard bow of the enemy, 
opened a raking fire which compelled a cry for quar- 
ter. When requested to haul down their flag they 




Enterprise Towing the Boxer into Portland, Maine, after the Battle. 
From an old wood-ciit engraved in 18 ji. 

replied that their colors were nailed to the mast and 
could not be hauled down. 

The action had lasted forty-five minutes. The 
Boxer was badly injured in sails, rigging, spars and 
hull, while the Enterprise had one 1 8-pound shot in 
her hull, one in her main mast and one in her fore- 
mast, and her sails and hull were riddled with grape 
shot. 



342 American Naval Hcr^oes. 

Lieutenant McCall reported the loss on the Enter- 
piHse to be four killed and ten wounded, while he 
estimated the loss on the Boxer to be twenty to 
twenty-five killed and fourteen wounded. Captain 
Blythe of the Boxer was killed early in the action 
by a cannon ball. He had served as one of the pall- 
bearers at the funeral of Captain Lawrence. 

Lieutenant Burrows was mortally wounded at the 
first fire, by a musket ball, but refused to be carried 
below, and he watched the progress of the fight from 
the quarter-deck until he fainted from loss of blood. 
With his life fast ebbing away he begged that the 
fiag might never be struck and when the sword of 
the gallant Captain Blythe was presented to him he 
clasped his hands together and exclaimed, " I am 
satisfied — I die contented." He was then carried 
below and died soon after. Captain Blythe and Lieu- 
tenant Burrows were buried in adjoining graves at 
Portland, Maine, near the scene of the sanguinary 
encounter. 

Congress, in recognition of the gallantry of Lieu- 
tenant Burrows passed the following joint resolution : 

" Resolved, by the senate and house of represent- 
atives of the United States of America, in Congress 
assembled : That the President of the United States be 
requested to present to the nearest male relative of 
the late Lieutenant William Burrows and to Lieuten- 
ant Edwin R. McCall of the brig Enterprise, a gold 
medal with suitable emblems and devices; and a silver 



JVi/liain Burrows. 



o4j 



medal with like emblems and devices to each of the 
commissioned officers of the aforesaid vessel in testi- 
mony of the high sense entertained by Congress, of 
the gallantry and good conduct of the officers and 
crew, in the conflict with the British sloop Boxer, on 
on the fourth of September, in the year one thousand 
eight hundred and thirteen. And the president is 
also requested to communicate to the nearest relative 
of Lieutenant Burrows, the deep regret which Con- 
gress feels for the loss of that valuable officer, who 
died in the arms of victory, nobly contending for his 
country's rights and fame." 




/^v::- 



XXVIII. 

JOHN GUSHING AYLWIN. 

" He was an officer of great merit, much esteemed by all who had the 
pleasure of his actiuaintance. He had seen much of the world, and improved 
his opportunities of observation ; possessed a strong mind, with great benov- 
olence of disposition. In his death our country has suffered a great loss, his 
friends a painful deprivation. — Tribute of Commodore Bainbridge. 

Lieutenant Aylwin was born in Quebec, where his 
father, WiUiam Alywin, a merchant of Boston, and 
his mother a sister of Wilham Gushing, justice of the 
Supreme Court of the United States, had removed at 
the time of the seige of Boston. The son received 
a good rudimentary education, and was rated on 
board a frigate in the British service under Captian 
Coffin. 

The custom of impressment as pursued by the 
British navy, determined him to give up his appoint- 
ment, and renounce the service that had so outraged 
his feehngs, as he had witnessed innocent and helpless 
seamen servingf on British vessels in a condition of 
abject slavery. 

He entered on board a vessel employed in the 
London trade, with the promise of six month's tuition 
at a naval academy. This part of the stipulation his 
master did not carry out, and he sailed between 
London and the West Indies. He was made mate of 



346 Americaji Naval Heroes. 

the ship when fifteen years old, and after he had made 
but two voyages. 

He offended the captain, who planned to punish 
him by contriving to have him kidnapped by a 
press gang and he was put on board a gun-brig, 
where he was persecuted in every way, so as to 
force him to enter voluntarily into the British 
service. 

After an ordeal of six years his health gave out, 
and his persecutors, finding him of little service, 
allowed him his freedom. He then returned to 
America and to his family in Boston. His training 
had made him a good sailor and proficient in naval 
warfare. In Boston he entered the merchant service 
and was master of a vessel for several years. 

When the war of 18 12 broke out, he was appointed 
sailing-master of the frigate ConstittUion, Captain 
Hull. His skill in the sixty-hour chase of the Const i- 
tiLtion by the British fleet, established his reputation, 
and he was still sailing-master when the ship captured 
the Giierriere. In this action he was wounded, and 
was shortly afterward made lieutenant, sailing as such 
under Captain Bainbridge. 

In the action of the Constitution with the Java^ 
the capture of the Java was purchased with the life of 
Aylwin. Commodore Bainbridge describes the scene 
and the hero's death as follows: "In the action with 
the Giierriei'-e, he stood on an elevated position by the 
side of his brave comrades Morris and Bush, at the 



yohn CiisJiing Aylwin. 



347 



time the two vessels came in contact, and was wounded 
in the left shoulder by a musket ball. 

"In the action he commanded the forecastle div- 
ision, and his training- and marked coolness throughout 
the contest gained him the admiration of his com- 
mander and of all who had an opportunity of witness- 
ino- him. 





.1 V y -^".i 



> 



Constitution and Java. 
From an old 'wood-cut etigraved in iS^l. 

"When boarders were called to repel boarders, he 
mounted the quarter-deck hammock cloths, and in the 
act of firing his pistols at the enemy received a ball 
through the same shoulder. Notwithstanding the 
serious nature of his wound he remained at his post 
until the enemy had struck, and even then did not 
make known his situation until all the wounded had 
been dressed. 



3+^ 



A7nerican N^aval Heroes. 



"His zeal and courage did not forsake him in his 
last moments; for a few days after the action, although 
laboring under considerable debility, and the most 
excruciating pain, he repaired to quarters when an 
engagement was expected with a ship which after- 
w^ard proved to be the Hornet. He bore his pain 
with great and unusual fortitude and expired without 
a groan." 

" A dauntless soul erect, who smiled on death." 

He died on board the United States frigate Consti- 
tutio7i at sea, January 28, 181 2. 




XXIX 



THE NAVY ON THE LAKES. 



On September lo, 1813, there appeared upon the 
peaceful waters of Lake Erie, just off Put-in- Bay, a 
fleet of war vessels which had sprung into existence 
as if by magic. Its genesis was an event in the history 
of the New World as startling as it was unique. Six 
months before, the timbers used in building the ships 
comprising the fieet had been growing trees shading 
the borders of the lake. The iron that held together 
and braced these timbers, making up the stout keels 
and sturd) sides of veritable men-of-war, was either in 
the mines unsmelted or in the possession of pioneer 
farmers and artisans, in the shape of ploughshares, 
horse-shoes and axes. The shipwrights who had 
fashioned the crafts had come through the wilderness 
all the way from Philadelphia, while the guns, ammu- 
nition, riggings and furnishings that contributed to 
the completion of well-equipped war-ships had been 
brought in wagons hundreds of miles through primitive 
forests over almost impassable roads. The hauling 
had been done chiefiy by teams of oxen, which were 
best suited to the rough way over which the heavy 



350 American Naval Heroes. 

loads were transported, from Albany, Buffalo, Sag 
Harbor and even from New York. The Blue-Jackets 
who made up the fighting force of the Aladdin-like 
armada were Pennsylvania soldiers, landsmen, who 
possibly had never before trod the deck of a ship, 
much less handled heavy guns between decks or 
wielded cutlasses and boarding-pikes in desperate 
hand-to-hand conflict on the rails of opposing ships 
tossed by the waves and illuminated by the flashes from 
answering broadsides. The change had been wrought 
in the few months that the ships themselves were 
being fashioned, and the master minds who planned, 
forwarded, and consummated this modern miracle had 
been trained in the severe school of the American 
navy, and were pupils of the ablest of naval school- 
masters — the brave and invincible Preble. Captains 
Jesse Duncan Elliott and Oliver Hazard Perry were 
the builders of the fleet, the trainers of the men, and 
the inspiration of the whole undertaking. 

Before their appearance on the scene of action 
the English held undisputed possession of the lake, 
and their army had invaded the territory of the United 
States bordering thereon. Aided by the Indian tribes 
hostile to the pioneer settlers, serious damage was 
being done by the invading army and their crafty 
allies. General William Henry Harrison, command- 
ing the United States army of the West, found him- 
self powerless to oppose successfully these inroads as 
long as the English war-ships remained on the lake. 



XXX. 

OLIVER HAZARD PERRY. 

"We have met the enemy and they are ours; two ships, two brigs, one 
schooner and one sloop." — Captain Perry to General Harrisojt. 

Oliver Hazard Perry, the hero of Lake Erie, was 
born at South Kingston, R. I., August 21, 1785, the 
eldest son of Christopher Raymond and Sarah (Alex- 
ander) Perry. With his four brothers he was trained 
in the active service of the United States Navy, to 
which service his father also belonged. Oliver 
entered as midshipman when only twelve years of 
age, and passed the various grades, serving in the 
Tripolitan War under Preble, and as lieutenant, com- 
manded the Nautilus in the Mediterranean in 1804. 

During the embargo that led to the War of 18 12 he 
served as commander of a fleet of seventeen gun-boats 
off Newport Harbor. In 18 10 he joined the Revenge 
at New London, and was master of that vessel when 
she was stranded on the rocks off Watch Hill, in 181 1. 
On the outbreak of hostilities with Great Britain 
in 18 1 2, he resumed command of the gun-boats 
off Newport. Soon tiring of this inactive life, he 
asked to be transferred to Sackett's Harbor, N. Y., 
where Commodore Isaac Chauncey was building and 
equipping a fleet to operate against the British, who 



354 American Naval Heroes. 

This was to be the watchword and battle-cry of 
the coming combat. The flag-ship was the Lawrence, 
and against the heavens were displayed the dying 
words of the gallant naval hero whose name she bore. 
The Lawrence was followed by the Niagara, also 
of 20 guns, under command of Captain Elliott, 
and next came the brig Caledo?iia, 3 guns, Lieuten- 
ant Turner. 

The Ariel, 4 guns. Packet, master, and the Scor- 
pion, 2 guns, Champlin, master, supported the Law- 
rence. These vessels, with the Somers, 2 guns and 2 
swivels, Alney, master ; the Tigress, i gun, Conklin, 
master ; the Porcupine, i gun, Lent, master ; the 
Trippe, i gun. Smith, master, and the Ohio, i gun, 
Dobbin, master, made up the American fleet. 

The Englishmen met this armada, opposing the 
Lawrence with the Detroit, 19 guns and 2 howitzers. 
The Niagara paired with the Quee^t Charlotte, 17 
guns and i howitzer, leaving the Caledonia with her 3 
guns to oppose the Hunter, 10 guns, while the Lady 
Provost, 13 guns and i howitzer; the Little Belt, 3 
guns, and the Chippewa, i gun, had but single and 
2-gun schooners as opponents. The respective arma- 
ments were, American, 55 guns; British, 63 guns 
and 4 howitzers — the British guns being mostly long 
range. 

The sun had almost reached the meridian when the 
stillness of the scene was broken by the discharge 
of a single gun from the British flagship, followed by 



Oliver Hazard Perry. 355 

a second, which sent a ball crashing through both 
bulwarks of the Lawrence. 

Captain Perry replied, but his shot fell short, and 
while he was receiving a storm of iron hail from the 
entire British fleet, which was playing havoc with his 
masts, riggings and bulwarks, he had to navigate 
his ship as best he could to lessen the distance 
between them. He gave orders for the entire fleet to 
close with the enemy ; but the A^iagara was unable to 
respond, owing to the lightness of the wind, and she 
soon floated out of range. The smaller vessels were 
of little use, and Perry saw that his ship would soon 
be cut to pieces, as the entire fire from the British 
fleet was directed ag-ainst the Lazurcnce. 

For two hours she maintained her position in the 
unequal contest. She was losing by each discharge 
from the enemy — now a spar, now a mast, next a 
shot cut the rigging, or a sail was rendered useless. 
As a mast went by the board, another shot dismounted 
a gun and killed a gunner. This was repeated with 
each successive broadside until the surgeons could 
not give attention to all the wounded, and many a 
poor fellow had the pain caused by the amputation of 
a limb, stopped by a cannon-ball, that hunted out its 
victim even in the quarters for the disabled, and for- 
ever ended his suffering. 

Lieutenant Yarnall continued to fight his guns 
with recruits from Commodore Perry, as man by man 
fell before the terrible rain of round shot and grape. 



356 American Naval Heroes. 

He was himself wounded in the forehead and neck, 
and found no time to wipe the blood as it streamed 
down his face and breast. Dulaney Forrest, the brave 
second lieutenant, as he stood by his commodore to 
take fresh orders, was struck down to the deck by a 
spent grape-shot. 

Marine Officer Brooks, a brilliant lieutenant just 
verging into manhood, received cheering encourage- 
ment from the commodore, and the next moment a 
ball sent him against the opposite bulwark, and in his 
agony he implored his companion to shoot him and 
thus put an end to his misery. A gun captain, just as 
he was being cautioned for needless exposure of his 
person to the shot of the enemy, applied the match to 
his gun, and at the same moment a cannon-ball passed 
through his body, and he fell without a groan at the 
feet of Commodore Perry. 

When all the guns but one were disabled, the 
commodore, assisted by Chaplain Breeze, Hambleton 
the purser, and two unwounded seamen continued to 
work it until a shot killed the purser and dismounted 
the gun. The commodore, his brave boy brother, the 
chaplain, and a half dozen men were left on deck with 
no gun to man, no sails to manage. Should he strike 
his flag the entire fleet would surrender, and the Law- 
rence was the only one of the vessels that was harmed. 

Here the hero was born of the undaunted com- 
mander, as Perry determined to snatch victory from 
the very jaws of defeat or die in the attempt. 



Oliver Hazai^d Perry. 357 

Ordering the boat lowered, he, with his young 
brother, and carrying the commodore's flag on his 
arm, was rowed under the enemy's fire to the 
Niagara. The shot from the British fleet broke the 
oars of the rowers and the spray from the disturbed 
waters dashed into their faces. 

Not a shot touched the " Hero of Lake Erie" as 
ne stood upright in the stern of that open boat and 
defiantly displayed his flag, bearing the motto of the 
navy, which was the watchword of the contest now 
hanging on the result of this desperate movement. 

He gained the protecting shelter of the Niagara, 
and hoisting his broad pennant assumed command. 
Captain Elliott volunteered to bring up the schooners 
to his support, and forming a new line of battle at 
close quarters, he directed all sails set, to carry the 
fleet towards the enemey's line. The onset was irre- 
sistible, and as the British commodore saw the fresh 
ships bearing down, driven by a favorable breeze, he 
undertook to wear his flag-ship and the Queen Char- 
lotte so as to bring them in position to meet the Yan- 
kees with broadsides. In this manoeuver the two ships 
fell foul, and the Niagara at the same moment dashed 
through the enemy's line, discharging both broadsides 
as she passed the gap. The Caledonia, Scorpio?t and 
Trippe broke the line at other points, and soon 
brought the enemy between two deadly fires. Mean- 
while the Lawrence had struck her colors ; but the 
rapid movements of the remainder of the fleet had 



358 American Naval Heroes. 

prevented the British commander from taking posses- 
sion, and seeing the advantage gained by Perry, Lieu- 
tenant Yarnell, although himself desperately wounded, 
restored the Stars and Stripes to its place, and with the 
aid of the eight men on board capable of duty, kept 
her afloat, and succeeded in bringing her into port at 
Erie, where she was found so badly damaged as to be 
unfitted for further service, and she was dismantled. 
The second encounter with the British fleet did not 
last seven minutes, when the flag of the Detroit was 
lowered, and four of the six vessels surrendered to 
the Americans. The two smaller crafts that under- 
took to escape were brought back by the Scoj-pion 
and Trippe, and after securing the prisoners, manning 
the prizes, and directing the fleet to a harbor. Com- 
modore Perry dispatched a letter to General Harrison 
in these words : 

Dear General : We have met the enemy, and they are ours ! — 
two ships, two brigs, one schooner, and one sloop. 

Yours with great respect and esteem, 

O. H. Perry. 

On the same day he wrote to the Secretary of the 

Navy as follows : 

Sir : It has pleased the Almighty to give to the arms of the 
United States a signal victory over their enemies on this lake. The 
British squadron, consisting of two ships, two brigs, one schooner, 
and one sloop, have this moment surrendered to the force under my 
command after a sharp conflict. I have the honor to be, sir, very 
respectfully. 

Your obedient servant, 

O. H. Perry. 
Hon. William Jones, Secretary of the Navy. 



Oliver Hazard Pei^ry. 359 

The victory caused great rejoicings throughout 
the country, and the principal towns were illuminated 
in honor of the event. The loss to the British was 
over one hundred and sixty men, killed and wounded, 
while Perry lost twenty-seven killed and ninety-six 
wounded. The ships next carried General Harrison's 
army across the lake in an invasion of Canada, and 
there, at the battle of the Thames, the British troops 
were almost entirely annihilated, and the great Indian 
chief, Tecumseh, the relentless enemy of the United 
States, was killed. Thus compelled, the British aban- 
doned the Northwest, and the battle of Lake Erie 
was the beginning of the end of our second war with 
Great Britain. 

For this exploit Perry was made a captain in the 
navy and was presented with the thanks of Congress, a 
sword, and a gold medal. He followed up this victory 
by cooperating with the army of General Harrison in 
its invasion of Canada. In 18 15 he was appointed to 
the command of the Java, and was with the squadron 
under Decatur in his operations against Algiers. In 
1 8 19 he commanded the naval station in the West 
Indies, and during the service fell a victim to yellow 
fever. He died August 23, 1820, and his body was 
carried to his native town on a man-of-war, where he 
was buried and a granite monument was erected over 
his grave by his native State. At Newport, R. I., 
and Cleveland, O., statues were also erected to his 
memory. 



XXXI. 

ISAAC CHAUNCEY. 

•' Had Commodore Chauncey followed Sir James Yeo into Burlington Bay, 
he would have obtained one of the highest reputations in the American Navy, 
without as much deserving it as at present." — Cooper. 

Commodore Chauncey, who planned the defense of 
the lakes, and organized and built a fleet that won the 
battle of Lake Erie, was born at Black Rock, Conn., 
February 20, 1772. He was the son of Wolcott 
Chauncey, and a great grandson of Israel Chauncey, 
who was the . youngest son of the Rev. Charles 
Chauncey. 1592-1674, the emigrant who landed 
in Phmouth, Mass., from England in 1638 and was 
president of Harvard College. Isaac's mother was 
Ann Brown. He was before the mast when twelve 
years old, and in 1791 was master of a ship. Upon 
the organization of the United States Navy in 1798, 
he was commissioned a lieutenant and served under 
Commodore Morris in the blockade of the ports of 
the Barbary States, receiving promotion to lieuten- 
ant commandant. He commanded the Chesapeake, 
38 guns, the flag-ship of Commodore Morris, and 
left the United States for the Mediterranean station in 
April. 1802. He reached Gibraltar, May 25th, where 
the Essex, Captain Bainbridge, was still blockading 

361 



362 Ainerican Naval Heroes. 

the Tripolitan cruisers. Commodore Morris relieved 
Captain Bainbridge and the Essex sailed home. 

The Efiterprise was obhged to stay in the straits 
to repair her mast, which had sprung, and then 
sailed for a cruise, being relieved of blockading 
duty by the John Adams, in July. The flagship 
was at Leghorn, October 12th, and was joined by 
the other vessels of the fleet in the harbor at Malta, 
in January, 1803. After sailing along the coast of 
Africa, past the ports of the Barbary States, the fleet 
anchored at Gibraltar, March 23d, when the Chesa- 
peake was ordered to New York, and Acting-captain 
Chauncey was transferred with Commodore Morris to 
the Neiv Vork, 36 guns. 

While making the passage from Gibraltar to Malta, 
just as the music had been beating to grog, a heavy 
explosion was heard in the cockpit of the Nezu York 
and the lower part of the vessel was immediately filled 
with smoke. Acting-captain Chauncey was passing 
the drummer when the explosion occurred, and he 
immediately gave his orders to beat to quarters. The 
alarm had not been given a minute when the men 
were all going steadily to their guns and to other sta- 
tions in obedience to a standing order in the event of a 
cry of fire, as the readiest way to prevent confusion. 

The commodore then appeared and gave the order 
to hoist out the boats. This order destroyed all discip- 
line. Every man rushed for safety to the jib-boom, bow- 
sprit, spritsail-yard and knights-head. Some leaped 



Isaac CJiauncey. 363 

overboard and swam to the nearest vessel. Immedi- 
ately Captain Chauncey rallied a few followers, and 
reminding them that they might as well be blown up 
through one deck as three, led the way below into 
passages choked with smoke, where the danger 
seemed imminent. With blankets taken from the pur- 
ser's store-room and soaked with water, and with 
buckets of water, they fought the fire, well knowing 
that a spark blown by their efforts to put out the fire, 
might explode the magazine and end their efforts and 
the existence of the ship. 

Lieutenant David Porter followed by other officers, 
came up from the ward-room by means of a stern lad- 
der, and they gave their help to the intrepid com- 
mander of the ship. The men were called back 
from the spars and bow-sprit and soon the flames 
were extinguished. The ship was saved by the 
personal heroism and leadership of Captain Chauncey. 
The explosion had killed fourteen officers and men, 
and two doors leading to the magazine were forced 
open by the concussion. When Commodore Morris 
transferred his flag to the Adams and sailed for New 
York, in obedience to a recall in October, 1803, 
Commodore Rodgers transferred his flag to the New 
York. 

As soon as the difficulties with Morocco were set- 
tled the Nezv York sailed for the United States with 
Admiral Rodgers, and after reaching home Acting- 
captain Chauncey was promoted mas.ter-commandant, 



3 6 1 American Naval Heroes. 

his commission bearing date May 23, 1804. He was 
ordered to fit out the Johii Adams for the Mediter- 
ranean with stores for the squadron, and reached the 
fleet engaged in the attack on Tripoli, August 7, 1804, 
reporting to the Constitution, Commodore Preble. 

In order to make room for stores, her guns were 
dismounted and the carriages freighted in other ves- 
sels of the fleet, thus practically transforming her into 
a freight ship. Captain Chauncey, with seventy of his 
men, went on board the Constitution and acted under 
orders from the Commodore, and his services were 
highly commended in the official dispatches of Com- 
modore Preble, whom Captain Chauncey had the 
honor of carrying to New York in the John Ada?ns, 
arriving there February 26, 1805, 

He returned with his ship to the Mediterranean, 
where he served under Commodore Rodgers and was 
promoted to the rank of captain, April 24, 1806. 

When the troubles with the Barbary States were 
settled and the navy was reduced, Captain Chauncey 
was given a furlough, and made a trip to China in 
an East Indiaman belonging to John Jacob Astor. 
On his return in 1808, he was commissioned by the 
department to organize the navy yard at Brooklyn, 
New York, and he remained in command of the yard 
till the War of 181 2, when he was ordered to the com- 
mand of the lakes. 

He arrived at Sackett's Harbor, N. Y., October 6, 
181 2. His command extended to all the lakes except 



Isaac Chauncey. 365 

Champlain, He had already dispatched forty ship- 
carpenters from New York and more were to follow, 
and on September i8th, one hundred seaman and offi- 
cers left New York with guns, shot and stores for 
Sackett's Harbor. Before commencine the buildine 
of new ships. Commodore Chauncey ordered to be 
purchased of the sloops and schooners used in the 
merchant service, a sufficient number to eive him the 
command of Lake Ontario, and they were named, 
armed, manned and duly commissioned. On these 
small crafts ranging in size from thirty to one hundred 
tons, the principal armaments were long guns mounted 
on circles with a few light guns to repel boarders. 

The keel of the first ship to mount twenty-four 
32-pounder carronades w^as laid down in September, 
1812, before Commodore Chauncey reached his sta- 
tion. The largest vessel afloat and fitted for action 
was the Oneida, 16 guns, and the remaining boats of 
the flotilla, six in number, averaged four guns each. 

Commodore Chauncey first appeared on the lake 
November 8, 18 12, with his broad pennant flying from 
the Oneida, Lieutenant-commandant Woolsey, and 
having in company the Conquest, Lieutenant J. D. 
Elliott, Hamilton, Lieutenant McPherson, Governor 
Tompkins, Lieutenant Brown, Pert, Mr. Arrendel, 
Jidia, Mr. Trant and Grozvler, Mr. Mix. As the flo- 
tilla was off the False Ducks, a group of small islands 
in the track of vessels keeping to the north shore, a 
ship was made in shore, and proved to be the Roval 



366 American Naval Heroes. 

George, 22 guns, the largest vessel on the inland 
waters of America. Commodore Chauncey gave the 
ship chase and ran her into the Bay of Quinte. 

The next morning she re-appeared and was chased 
into Kingston harbor, under the protecting guns of the 
shore battery. Commodore Chauncey then called his 
vessels to their stations and stood toward the mouth 
of the harbor, the Conquest, Lieutenant Elliott, lead- 
ing and the Oneida bringing up the rear, that the 
heavy guns of the schooners might clear the way for 
the closer attack by the brig. The Conquest did not 
open fire until she had drawn the fire of the land 
batteries for fully seven minutes, and in three min- 
utes after the Conquest opened fire, the other three 
schooners joined in the cannonade. The Oneida did 
not open her fire on the Royal George till twenty min- 
utes later, although under fire for some time. 

Her broadsides threw the enemy into confusion, 
and in twenty minutes from the time the Oneida fired 
her first gun, the Royal George cut her cables, ran 
into the harbor and made fast a wharf: where she 
was under the protection of the troops on the dock. 

The detained schooners, Governor Tompkins and 
Hamilton, now came up the harbor, and the entire 
flotilla engaged the Royal George, the five land bat- 
teries and the troops with movable guns, until dark- 
ness warned the pilots of the danger of lying so close, 
with the wind blowing strongly in shore. The fleet 
anchored two miles off shore, intending- to renew the 



Isaac CJiaiinccy. 367 

attack in the morning. The Oneida had one man 
killed and three wounded, and the loss in the schooners 
was slight in wounded. Mr. Arrendel of the Pert, 
wounded by the explosion of a gun on board, was 
knocked overboard and drowned while the schooner 
was beating for an anchorage. 

A gale prevented the contemplated attack the next 
morning, and the flotilla turned into the open lake 
for safety. The gale increasing, the pilots refused to 
remain longer, and Commodore Chauncey was com- 
pelled to return to Sackett's Harbor, bringing his 
entire fleet and two prizes. The same day the Oneida 
went in search of the Earl of Maria, reported off the 
Ducks, and Commodore Chauncey passed in sight of 
the Royal George, but could not draw her out of the 
protection of the land batteries, although she had the 
support of the Prince Regent, 16 guns, and the Ditke 
of Gloucester in company. 

Commodore Chauncey then went off Oswego to 
convey some stores expected by water, and encount- 
ered a severe snow storm, which so encased the ship 
in ice as to prevent the working of the sails, and the 
brig barely escaped shipwreck. Winter soon set in, 
and the operations on the lake were suspended. 

On November 26th, the Madison was launched. 
She was pierced for 24 guns, 32-pound carronades, 
which would make her superior in metal to the Royal 
George. Nine weeks before she slid in the water, her 
timbers were growing in the forest. Her builder was 



368 American Naval Heroes. 

Henry Eckford of New York. The British followed 
by laying the keel of a ship still larger than the 
Madiso7i, and more shipbuilders were ordered from 
New York to work on another ship at the Sackett's 
Harbor yard. Captain Sir James Lucas Yeo had as- 
sumed command of the American lakes, and when 
Commodore Chauncey in March, 18 13, proposed to 
the government an attack on York (Toronto) instead 
of Kingston, as first contemplated, his advice was 
followed. With the Aladisoii as flagship Commodore 
Chauncey, after many vexatious delays on account of 
stormy weather, which caused great suffering among 
the 1 7C)0 troops crowded on board the fleet, set sail 
April 22, 1 813, and anchored off York on the 25th, 
without loss. The troops were landed under pro- 
tection of the guns of the fleet, and the place 
was speedily assaulted, and captured. The Duke of 
Gloucester fell into the hands of the Americans, a ship 
on the stocks was burned, and large quantities of 
military and naval stores were destroyed. 

The army was then transported to Fort George, 
which stronghold was invested by the army supported 
by the fleet, and the garrison evacuated the fort and 
retreated toward Oueenstown, May 27, 18 13. 

During the entire summer Commodore Chauncey 
could bring on no general engagement with Sir James 
Yeo's fleet, and the rival fleets played a skilful game of 
hide-and-seek between Sackett's Harbor and Niagara, 
with a few minor engagements between schooners 



Isaac Chauiicey. 369 

caught to disadvantage. On September 26th Commo- 
dore Chauncey learned that Sir James Yeo was at 
York with all his squadron. At 8 a. m. on the 27th, 
the Piki\ the Madison and the Sylph each took a 
schooner in tow and made sail for the North shore. 

The enemy edged out into the lake to get sea room 
and Commodore Chauncey formed his line and steered 
directly for the centre of the line of the enemy. 
The Pike received the combined fire of the Wolfe and 
the Royal George for several minutes without return- 
ing it, but when near enough opened in her turn. She 
was supported by the schooner she had in tow and by 
the Governor Tompkins, the remainder of the Ameri- 
can fleet not coming up. 

The Wolfe, flagship, was badly cut up, losing her 
main and mizzen topmasts, and as she was sorely 
pressed by the Pike, the Royal George luffed up 
across her stern, to cover the English commodore who 
was off to leeward, passing through his own line to 
effect an escape. This was a judicious movement of 
Sir James Yeo and his squadron, for the Madison 
and the Oneida had just come up, prepared to open 
fire with their carronades, and but for this lucky escape 
the entire fleet would have been sacrificed. 

The English squadron bore up for a few minutes 
before i p. m., and Commodore Chauncey signalled for 
a general chase. The Royal George kept athwart the 
stern of the Wolfe, and this protected the English 
commodore in his crippled ship. The Americans 



3/0 American Naval Heroes. 

brought their circle guns to bear on the fleeing 
enemy, and after keeping up the chase for two hours, 
running nearly up to the head of the lake, at Burling- 
ton Bay, where the enemy had a large land force, and 
as the prospect of overtaking the British fleet before 
they reached the cover of the guns on shore was 
slight. Commodore Chauncey decided to haul off and 
stand in for Niagara, where he could intercept the 
retreat of the enemy, who were now effectually bottled 
up and could be attacked at any time, even when 
at anchor, if the weather was favorable. 

The long chase and hot fire had greatly crippled 
the Pike as well as the other vessels, and the commo- 
dore thought it the wiser policy to withdraw, as he 
could do so with honor, having the enemy beaten and 
in retreat. This decision caused much severe criti- 
cism and naval experts are still at variance as to the 
wisdom of the movement. In the manoeuvering of 
the next few days the English ships succeeded in 
evading the American fleet under cover of the fog 
and by skilful navigating. The Pike captured several 
valuable prizes and over two hundred and fifty 
prisoners including many general officers, and the 
remainder of the season was used by Commodore 
Chauncey in blockading the enemy in Kingston, the 
war department not allowing him the military force 
necessary to carry out his scheme. The fleet suffered 
greatly from heavy gales just as winter set in and 
operations were suspended. 



Isaac Chauiiccy. 371 

In 18 1 6 he was assigned to the command of the 
Mediterranean squadron, and he conveyed to Naples 
William Pinckney, United States minister to Russia. 
In June, 18 16, he relieved Commodore Shaw, senior 
officer of the Mediterranean station. He was com- 
missioned with Mr. Shaler to open negotiations with 
the Dey of Algiers who had violated the treaty 
made with Decatur in 1815. The duty was success- 
fully accomplished, and in 18 18 Commodore Chauncey 
returned to New York and was made commandant of 
the Brooklyn Navy Yard. In 182 1 he was made a 
naval commissioner at Washington, and from 1824 to 
1833 was commandant of the navy yard, Brooklyn, 
N. Y. In June, 1833, he returned to Washington as 
president of the board of naval commissioners. 

He was married to Catharine, daughter of John 
and Catharine Sickles of New York, and their son, 
John Sickles Chauncey, served in the United States 
Navy, 1812-69, and was retired as captain. 

Commodore Chauncey died in Washington, D. C, 
January 27, 1840. 



XXXII. 

JESSE DUNCAN ELLIOTT. 

Captain Elliott co-operated with Perry in conducting the naval battle on 
Lake Erie and received from him the credit that historians have failed to report. 

Jesse Duncan Elliott, who shared with Perry the 
honors for the naval victory on Lake Erie, was born 
in Maryland, July 14, 1780. His father, a Revolution- 
ary patriot, was killed by the Indians toward the close 
of the War for independence. The orphaned boy had 
few advantages for acquiring an education until he had 
reached his twentieth year, when he was entered at a 
school at Carlisle, Pa. 

In 1804 he was given a warrant as midshipman on 
the friofate Essex, and saw his first service in the 
Mediterranean squadron under Preble. In 1807 he 
returned to the United States and was appointed lieu- 
tenant on the frigate Chesapeake. 

In 1809 he was transferred to the schooner E)iter- 
prise as acting lieutenant, and engaged in enforcing 
the embargo laws. In 18 10 he carried important dis- 
patches to the United States minister at the court of 
St. James, and on his return was ordered to the frigate 
yohn Adams. He was shortly afterward transferred to 
the Argus. 



374 American N^aval Heroes. 

Upon the declaration of war with Great Britain in 
1812 he was sent to his ship, which had been hastily 
ordered to sea, during his absence at Norfolk, Va., 
where he had been married to a daughter of William 
Vaughn, a prominent citizen of that place. 

Delay in receiving orders, and effecting the jour- 
ney, brought him to New York after the ship had 
sailed, and he joined Commodore Isaac Chauncey at 
Sackett's Harbor, who directed him to proceed to 
Presque Isle on Lake Erie and there construct a fleet 
similar to the one building at Sackett's Harbor. 

Upon his arrival he found two British ships, the 
Detroit and Caledonia, lying at anchor under the very 
guns of Fort Erie, and he determined to capture them 
and use them as the nucleus of his contemplated 
armada. Speedily mustering a small body of sailors, 
they embarked in two open boats and captured the two 
vessels without the loss of a single life. As the wind 
died out and the tide and current set against him, 
they could not navigate the ships, and after securing 
his prisoners, he carried to shore the armament and 
provisions and abandoned his prizes. For his gal- 
lantry in this act Congress voted him a splendid sword 
and the thanks of his country. 

After seeing the building of the ships well under 
way he joined Commodore Chauncey's fleet and en- 
gaged in the capture of York, where the gallant Pike 
fell mortally wounded by the explosion of the enemy's 
magazine. In August, 18 13, the fleet being ready he 



ycsse Dune a 71 Elliott. 375 

joined Captain Perry with 100 men, and assuming 
command of \\\^ Niagara, engaged in the memorable 
battle of Lake Erie. For his part in this glorious 
victory Congress voted him a gold medal and the 
thanks of the nation. 

After the battle he succeeded to the command of 
the fleet on the lake, but finding no enemy to oppose, 
he was transferred at his own request to the squadron 
operating in the Mediterranean, where he commanded 
the sloop Ontario. Upon his return he was engaged 
in the coast service until 1825, when he commanded 
the Cyane in a cruise to the coast of South America. 
In 1829 he was appointed to the command of the 
West Indian squadron, and in 1833 to the command 
of the Charlestown Navy Yard. 

He afterward commanded the United States squa- 
dron in the Mediterranean, and visited the most inter- 
eresting ports of the Old World. 

Upon his return in 1844 he was made commandant 
of the navy yard in Philadelphia, and died there Decem- 
ber 10, 1845. 




. ^i^t.-.^:^^^^^^^^ "^ 




XXXIII. 

THOMAS MACDONOUGH. 

The work of destroying the British power on the lakes, begun by Commo- 
dore Chauncey on Lake Ontario and carried forward by Captain Elliott and 
Lieutenant-commandant Perry on Lake Erie, was completed by Lieutenant-com- 
mandant Macdonough on Lake Champlain. 

Following the victory of the navy on Lake Erie, 
the consequent defeat of the British army in Canada 
West, determined the British Government to make one 
supreme effort to reach the commercial metropolis of 
the New World by way of Lake Champlain and the 
Hudson River. 

Sir George Prevost, as commander of the British 
forces in Canada, had under him a land and naval 
force of over 10,000 men, "the flower of Wellington's 
army and the cream of Nelson's marines." These 
veteran soldiers and seamen were concentrated at the 
foot of Lake Champlain awaiting the building of ships 
to carry them up the lake, which was at the time 
defended by two small sloops-of-war and the militia 
gathered from the adjacent counties in New York and 
Vermont, and these two were the only armed ves- 
sels on the lake, and held undisputed possession of 
the waters. These sloops were soon captured and 
transformed into warships carrying the British flag. 



3/8 American Naval Heroes. 

This left the Americans without the shadow of a navy. 

The white- winged sloop Growler had on her deck 
1 1 heavy British guns, and had been rechristened the 
Chubb, and her consort, the Eagle, with an equally 
heavy armament, was known as the Finch. 

While the British were building additions to this 
small fleet, the Americans were not idle, for Lieu- 
tenant-commander Macdonough had been quietly pre- 
paring to oppose the threatened invasion. 

Thomas Macdonough was born in New Castle 
county, Delaware, December 23, 1780. 

He entered the United States Navy as midship- 
man in 1800, and was attached to the Philadelphia in 
1803 when that frigate captured the Moorish frigate 
Meshoda, off Cape de Gatte. He was left at Gibraltar 
with the prize, thus escaping the long imprisonment 
suffered by the commander and crew of the Philadel- 
phia when that vessel was captured by the Tripblitans. 

He was on board the Enterprise under Decatur in 
the attack on Tripoli in 1804, and was one of the 
party that re-captured the Philadelphia and burned 
heron February 16, 1804. 

He was promoted lieutenant in 1807, and master 
commandant in 18 13. In August, 18 14, he was 
appointed to the command of the American naval 
forces at Plattsburg Bay, Lake Champlain. 

He had well advanced the ship Saratoga, for which 
he had procured as an armament 8 long 24-pounders 
and 18 smaller guns. On the stocks about ready to 



Thomas Macdonough. 379 

launch was the brig Eagle, 20 guns, the schooner 
Ticotidei'oga, ij guns, and the sloop Pi'-eble, 7 guns, 
besides ten gun-boats carrying 16 guns. The English 
naval commander, Thomas Downie, had already 
launched the brig Linnet, 16 guns, and thirteen gun- 
boats carrying 13 guns. On the stocks he had the 
frigate Confiancc, built to carry thirty long 24- 
pounders, besides nine smaller guns. 

On Sunday, September 11, 1814, one year and a 
day after the victory of Perry on Lake Erie, the rival 
fleets were floating on the lake, taking position for a 
desperate struggle for supremacy. The American 
fleet was in the bay before Plattsburg, while the 
British armada sailed up the lake to oppose it. 

In the van was the Chubb, followed by the Con- 
fiance, the flagship of Commodore Downie. He at 
once opposed the Saratoga, bearing Commodore 
Macdonough's flag. 

The Linjiet brought to opposite the Eagle, Captain 
Robert Henley. The thirteen gun-boats confronted 
the Ticonderoga , Lieutenant Cassin, the Preble, and a 
division of the American gun-boats, while the Chubb 
and Finch opposed those remaining. The action 
lasted without intermission two hours and twenty 
minutes. The opposing forces were about equally 
matched in numbers of men and weight of metal. 

The battle was opened by the Eagle discharging 
her guns in rapid succession, but the shot fell short. 
On board the Saratoga, as they cleared the deck for 



380 American Naval Heroes. 

action, a rooster escaped from the hencoop and hid 
behind a gun. Startled by the boom of the cannon 
from the Eagle, he flew upon the gunsHde, and, flap- 
ping his wings, ended his performance with a rousing 
crow, which he repeated three times. The incident 
was accepted by the Yankee bluejackets as an omen 
of good luck, and they went into the fight with cheers, 
sure that success would attend the presence of this 
mascot. 

Commodore Macdonough, standing on the quar- 
ter-deck, watched the effect of the shot from the Eagle 
until it reached its mark; he then complacently walked 
to one of the 24-pounderson the deck of the Saratoga 
and sighted it carefully, so as to send the ball to the 
bull's eye — the hawes-hole of the Conjiance. With 
his own hand he applied the match and sent the first 
heavy shot crashing through the opening and length- 
wise the deck of the British flagship, sweeping the gun- 
carriages and killing and wounding several men in its 
passage. Then with its spent force it shattered the 
wheel, rendering it useless. 

The guns on the Saratoga then poured their fire 
into the side of the Confiance, piling up the deck with 
dead and wounded. Great holes pierced her sides, 
and her bulwarks were badly shattered. Still the 
brave Downie held his fire, while working his ship 
nearer the Saratoga. Not until he had cast her 
anchors and secured in seamanlike order all her 
fastenings did he pass the word for which the gunners 



Thomas Macdonough. 381 

had so long- and impatiently waited. This brought 
from the Con/iatice a broadside from guns double- 
shotted and accurately directed at the very port-holes 
of the Saratoga. 

Its effect was as if an immense ram had suddenly 
struck her side, and half the men on deck fell, forty 
being either killed or wounded. For a moment the 
Saratoga made no reply, but quickly recovering from 
the shock, the Yankee sailors returned the fire, and as 
officer or gunner fell his place was supplied, and the 
work of carnage went on. One shot from the Sara- 
toga struck the muzzle of a gun on the deck of the 
Conjiancc, and as it left its carriage the gun struck 
the brave Downie in the groin, and he was killed 
without uttering even a groan. This gun, with its 
battered muzzle, was afterward removed to the Naval 
Academy at Annapolis, a relic of the battle of Lake 
Champlain. 

As new men took the place of the more experi- 
enced gunners killed and wounded, the fire became 
less and less effective on both sides, and soon most of 
the guns were either dismounted or rendered useless 
from careless handling. 

Meanwhile the Preble was engaging the enemy's 
gun-boats, and being overpowered, cut her cable and 
drifted out of range. Lieutenant Cassin, with the 
Ticonderoga, although hard pressed by the British 
gun-boats, succeeded in defending the rear of the 
line of battle, and standing- on the taffrail amid a 



382 American Aunur/ Heroes. 

storm of grape and canister, gave his orders to the 
gunners. 

The Eagle continued to oppose the Conjiance ; but 
the Saratoga had not a single gun on her exposed 
side. The Lin7iet had gained a position that enabled 
her to rake the Saratoga from stem to stern. This 
position necessitated the immediate winding of the 
ship, so as to bring her port broadside into play. 
Commodore Macdonough had provided in the planting 
of his anchors for just such an emergency, and, to the 
amazement of the enemy, the apparently helpless 
Saratoga began to swing around until her bow pointed 
to the south, when she opened her reserved broadside 
battery on the British ship. The Conjiance undertook 
the same manoeuver, but was caught when half warped ; 
and thus exposed to the Saratoga s fire, she was 
obliged to strike her colors and so end the fight. 

The incidents of the battle were pathetic in the 
extreme. Commodore Macdonough, during the prog- 
ress of the fight, was struck with a splintered spar as 
it was shot from its place, and was rendered for a 
time senseless, but upon recovering continued the 
order the accident had interrupted. At another time 
he was hit by what appeared to him to be a spent can- 
non-ball and driven against the bulwarks, but upon 
regaining his feet and looking for the cause of the 
mischief, he found it that was the head of an un- 
fortunate gun captain, who had died at his post of 
duty. 



JJioiuas MacdonougJi. 383 

The British lost two hundred officers and men 
exclusive of prisoners, and 75 guns. The Americans 
had one hundred and twelve killed and wounded. 

On September 13, the interment of the American 
and English officers who had fallen in the memorable 
battle of the iith took place at Plattsburg in a man- 
ner to do honor to the bravery with which they de- 
fended their respective flags. The bodies of the Amer- 
ican officers killed in the action, covered with the Stars 
and Stripes, under which they had fought, were taken 
from the American flagship in open boats, followed 
by the commander and the surviving officers. Arriv- 
ing alongside the captured British flagship, the bodies 
of the deceased English officers, covered with the 
royal ensign, were placed in the boats, and, followed by 
the surviving officers, now prisoners of war, the sad 
procession of boats moved slowly toward the shore, 
amid the firing of minute-guns from the deck of the 
commodore's ship. On shore, the funeral cortege was 
met by the infantry and artillery and escorted to the 
public burial-ground, the fort meanwhile firing minute 
guns. The rites of Christian burial were pronounced 
by the chaplain. A volley of musketry and artillery 
over the new-made graves completed the solemn 
ceremony. Macdonough's victory had saved New 
York from invasion, and had turned the fortunes of 
war in favor of the United States. 

For his services in this engagement Macdonough 
was made captain, and received a gold medal from 



384 



Ajuericaji Naval Heroes. 



Conoress and civic honors from various towns and 
cities. The State of Vermont presented him with an 
estate located upon Cumberland Head overlooking 
the scene of the engagement. 

He was afterward in command of the Mediter- 
ranean squadron, and on November 16, 1825, he died 
on board a trading ship which had been sent to bring 
him home. 



^v,r:^c-:-^ 




Macdonough s Farm House. 



XXXIV. 

DAVID CONNER. 

In the operations of the American navy in the Gulf previous to and at the 
beginning of the war with Mexico, Commodore David Conner was "com- 
mander-in-chief in foreign seas," an officer supreme in his station, sharing its 
command with none, and responsible only to his government. This was true 
of the commodores of the old navy when not mere commanders of squadrons, and 
this fact most naval writers seem to ignore. Captains of single ships or com- 
manders of squadrons have their isolated deeds recorded, while the officer who 
regulates their movements is seldom mentioned. 'The commander-in-chief is 
held responsible for defeat, but gets slight praise for victory. — Editor. 

David Conner, a native of Pennsylvania, was the 
son of David and Abigail (Rhodes) Conner. The 
former, of Irish family, settled in the province about 
1750, and the latter sprung from the original English 
colonists of 1682. The elder David died at Harris- 
burg about the time of his son David's birth, in the 
winter of 1792- 1793, and the widow removed to 
relatives elsewhere. 

While yet a lad, David joined his elder brother 
Edward Conner, a West India merchant, in Philadel- 
phia. Edward was subsequently ruined by French 
spoliation, and was ultimately lost at sea. David 
pushed to attainment his long cherished desire of 
entering the navy, and was appointed a midshipman, 
January 16, 1809. 

He served in the War of 181 2, being third lieuten- 
ant on the Hornet, which was not put in commission 



David Conner. 387 

until October, 1812, although war with Great Britian 
had been declared in June. She was then with the 
Jissex, Captain Porter, assigned to the squadron of 
Commodore Bainbridge, sailing in the Constitution as 
flagship. 

The Hornet and Constitution left Boston on Octo- 
ber 26th, and reachinpf off San Salvador on December 
13th, the Hornet was sent to communicate with the 
consul. He found the British sloop-of-war Citoyenne, 
18 guns. Captain Green, in port about to sail for 
England with a large amount of specie aboard.' 

Through the consul Captain Lawrence challenged 
the Englishman to meet the Hoimct at sea where they 
would try the metal of the respective vessels. Cap- 
tain Green declined the challenge, claiming that the 
Cofistitution would interfere and prevent an equal 
contest, notwithstanding Captain Lawrence's answer to 
the contrar)-. When the Constittition left, the Hornet 
continued to blockade the Bonne Citoyenne alone and 
she remained on this duty until the arrival of the Con- 
stitution after her successful encounter with the yava. 

After Commodore Bainbridge sailed for the United 
.States, January 6, i8i3,the Hornet for eighteen days 
longer kept Captain Green inside the harbor and then 
gave up the blockade on the arrival of the frigate 
Montague, 74 guns, to relieve the Bonne Citoyenne of 
her awkward position. 

The Hornet made a few prizes and when off the 
mouth of the Demarara river, February 24, 18 13, had 



388 



Arnerican Naval Heroes. 



her celebrated contest with the British sloop-of-war 
Peacock, i8 guns, Captain Peake. 

It was given to Lieutenant Conner and Midship- 
man B. Cooper to get out the prisoners who were 
wounded and to endeavor to save the sinking wreck, 
all that remained of the Peacock. They plugged the 
larger shot holes, threw the guns overboard, and set the 




Hornet and Peacock. 
Frotit an old ivood-cut engraved in 1S3I. 

prisoners at the pumps, but to no purpose. While the 
boats of the Hornet were carrying prisoners to that 
vessel the Peacock began to sink and Lieutenant 
Conner summoned the people remaining on board to 
the deck where the Peacock's launch was standing-. 
Few responded to his call as they were engaged in 
looting the sinking vessel. The brig settled suddenly 
in five fathoms of water and Conner succeeded in 



David Cornier. 389 

getting most of the men and several prisoners in the 
launch. Three American seamen and nine of the 
crew of the Peacock went down with her. The launch 
had no oars and was paddled with pieces of plank 
until taken in charge by the returning cutters from 
the Hoi^net, and the brig returned with her prisoners 
to New York. 

Captain Lawrence was transferred to the Chesa- 
peake, on board of which he met his death, and the 
Hornet passed to the command of Captain James 
Biddle, Conner remaining on board as his first lieuten- 
ant. They left New York to get to sea by way of 
Lono- Island Sound but were blockaded in New Lon- 
don Harbor in June, 18 14. 

In January, 18 15, they passed out to sea, and on 
March 23rd engaged and captured the English brig 
Penguin, 18 guns. In this sea-fight Lieutenant 
Conner was severely, and for a time, considered dan- 
gerously wounded. The Hornet landed them in New 
York, July 30, 18 15, after peace was declared. 

For his conduct on those occasions, he received 
the praise of his commanders, Lawrence and Biddle, 
a sword from his native state, and the award of two 
silver medals from Congress. He was first lieutenant 
of the Ontario, and fired the salute on the occasion 
of her commander, Biddle, taking formal possession 
of the Oregon in 18 18. 

After cruising in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, 
and in the Mediterranean and Red seas, he was 



390 Anierica?i Naval Heroes. 

promoted captain in 1835. ^^ ^^^ made a navy com- 
missioner in 1 84 1, and chief of the bureau of construc- 
tion, equipment and repair upon its creation in 1842, 
thus being the first to hold that position. 

In 1843 ^^^ ^'^'^ appointed commodore of the 
home and West-India squadron. In this position 
his authority, as commander-in-chief, covered a wide 
extent of sea, lying in the North Atlantic, Caribbean, 
and Mexican gulf, and continued for more than three 
years. Upon the breaking out of war with Mexico 
in 1846, he blockaded her eastern coast, and leading 
or despatching eight or more expeditions, destroyed 
her marine, and occupied the most of her ports. Hav- 
ing In these operations dispatched his second in com- 
mand, Commodore M. C. Perry, to subdue Yucatan, 
that officer executed the order to his commander's 
satisfaction. 

The province, cut off from the rest of Mexico, sub- 
mitted, sending a commissioner to Commodore Conner 
requesting his forbearance. This was granted, so long 
as she did not interfere with the government set up 
in her ports by his command, and here it may be 
remarked that this government proved so satisfactory 
to the Yucatanos that they requested its continuance 
after the war was over. 

General Scott abandoned the plan of landing his 
army without the assistance of the navy, and accepted 
Commodore Conner's offer to perform the operation. 
The Commodore, selecting some ships from his 



David Coujicy. 391 

squadron and some from Scott's transports, formed of 
them an expeditionary fleet to which he transported 
the whole army, and then, placing his flagship, the 
Raritait, in the van while General Scott accompanied 
in the Massachusetts, he led the descent on Vera Cruz, 
March 9, 1847. 

On arriving at the point for debarkation, four 
thousand five hundred soldiers were at once thrown 
ashore in one organized body. Others followed, so 
that in four hours ten thousand men, armed and pro- 
visioned, were landed. This gives a rate of thirty 
thousand per day, a rapidity of movement never 
excelled, if indeed equalled before or since. 

Although preparing to shell the castle of San Juan 
de Tilloa by the means of his heavily armed flotilla, 
and to establish a naval seige battery on land against 
\'era Cruz, he was {>revented therefrom by the return 
of Commodore Perry with orders to relieve Conner, 
who had held command already more than three 
months over the usual time allowed to any one com- 
modore. 

The next morning, March 21st, after the receipt of 
the order of relief, Commodore Conner resigned his 
office to Commodore Perry, transferring his own broad 
pennant to the Princeton, and there quietly remaining 
until the fall of Vera Cruz on the 29th, when he sailed, 
bearing the news of victory to his country, and grati- 
fied by perceiving that his plans for the siege had not 
been changed, but on the contrary, carried out. 



392 American Naval Heroes. 

Upon reaching Philadelphia, Commodore Conner 
was welcomed by a public dinner, the councils of that 
city as well as those of Washington sending him reso- 
lutions of thanks, while the President repeated his, the 
secretary of the war doing likewise, and the Society of 
the Cincinnati making him an honorary member. The 
sudden change in situation and climate impaired his 
health, but he recovered, and was again employed in 
important matters. 

In person he was tall, thin and erect, and could 
walk, ride and shoot with anyone. Besides being an 
accomplished officer he was a cultivated man, possess- 
ing a thorough knowledge of both French and Spanish. 

While no speechmaker, he was a good converser, 
and wrote English well, his dispatches being consid- 
ered models by the department. He was fond of 
music, handy at games, and a good dancer. Thus, 
while an agreeable man in society, he was as an officer 
very careful of the health and general welfare of his 
command, kind but reserved in manner, carrying out 
any duty imposed with firm resolution, no matter how 
painful to his feelings. 

After his death, on the 20th of March, 1826, his 
body was placed, with military and naval honors, in 
Christ Church Ground, Philadelphia. It was afterward 
removed to a vault at South Laurel Hill cemeter\-. 



XXXV. 
SAMUEL CHESTER REID. 

Heaven helped the httle A rntsiroiig;'in her hour of bitter need; 
CJod Almighty nerved the heart and guided well the arm of Reid. 

lell the story to your sons of the gallant days of yore, 

When the brig of seven guns fought the fleet of seven score. 
From the set of sun till morn, through the long September night — 
Ninety men against two thousand, and the ninety won the fight. 
In the harbor of Fayal the Azore. 

From " The Fight of the ' A rmstrong' /'rtTutteer." 
— James Jeffrey Roche. 

Captain Samuel Chester Reid was born in the 
town of Norwich, State of Connecticut, August 25, 
1783, the year of peace. He was the second and only 
surviving son of Lieutenant John Reid of the British 
navy, who was a son of Lord John Reid, of Glasgow, 
Scotland, and a lineal descendant of Henry Reid, Earl 
of Orkney, and Lord High Admiral to Robert III, 
(Bruce), King of Scotland, in 1393. 

Lieutenant John Reid while in command of a 
night-boat expedition sent out from the British squa- 
dron, under Admiral Hotham, which was then ravag- 
ing the coast, was taken prisoner at New London, 
Conn., in October, 1778. He afterward resigned his 
commission under George III, and espoused the 
American cause. 

In February, 1781, he was married to Rebecca 
Chester of Norwich. Miss Chester was a descendant 



394 American Naval Heroes. 

of the fourth generation of Captain Samuel Chester, 
formerly an officer of the British navy, who, in 1662 
immigrated to Connecticut and settled in New Lon- 
don. He was a son of Sir Robert Chester, who was 
knighted by James I, in 1603, and was a direct de- 
scendant of the Earls of Chester through whom he 
was collaterally connected with Robert I, (Bruce), 
King of Scotland. 

John, the son of Rebecca's father, the third John 
Chester, served at Bunker Hill and at the Battle 
of Lexington in 1775, and was a colonel in Briga- 
dier General Wardsworth's Connecticut brigade. He 
was a delegate to the Connecticut convention in 
January, 1788, which ratified the constitution of the 
United States. 

Captain Samuel Chester Reid, following the voca- 
tion of his forefathers, went to sea at the early age of 
eleven on a voyage from New York to the West Indies. 
The vessel was captured by a French privateer and 
carried into Basseterre, Guadaloupe, where he was 
confined with the rest of the prisoners in an old 
gothic chapel for six months. He subsequently 
entered the navy and served as midshipman on the 
sloop-of-war Baltimore under Commodore Truxton 
who commanded the West India squadron and who 
appointed him his aide. 

Captain Reid was married in New York City, June 
8, 181 3, to Mary, daughter of Captain Nathan Jen- 
nings of Fairfield, Conn., a lady of distinguished 



Samuel Chester Re id. 395 

beauty and talent. Captain Jennings volunteered as a 
private at the Battle of Lexington, crossed the Dela- 
ware with Washington, and commanded a company at 
the Battle of Trenton, December 26, 1775, where he 
was distinguished for gallant service on the field. 
The only members of Captain Reid's family now living, 
of ten children, are Madame di Cesnola, wife of Count 
Louis Palma di Cesnola, of military and archaeological 
fame, and her sister Mrs. Savage, the widow of the 
late John Savage, the well known poet and historian. 

In 18 14, during the time when the British General 
Ross, with his six thousand veterans from the troop- 
ships of Admiral Cochrane's fleet, was burning and 
pillaging the American capital, for which he after- 
ward paid the penalty of his life in his demonstration 
against Baltimore, the saucy little brig General Arvi- 
strong was being refitted in the port of New York for 
her fifth cruise against the enemy. 

She was a beautiful model and had been schooner 
rigged, but Captain Reid on being induced .to take 
command of her, changed her rig into a brigantine 
which made her one of the fastest vessels on the seas. 
She had a superior armament for boarding or resisting 
attack, with steel-strapped helmets for the men. She 
had a picked crew of sailors and marines, all Ameri- 
cans. 

The officers of the privateers were commissioned 
by the President, were under the same rules and reg- 
ulations as the regular navy, and were subject to the 



39^ American Naval Heroes. 

orders of the secretary of war, (there being no secre- 
tary of the navy at that time) who was then General 
John Armstrong, after whom the famous brig was 
named. 

The Armstrong lay off the Battery at New York, 
the admiration of the citizens, awaitine a chance to 
run the blockade of British war-ships off Sandy Hook. 

The discipline of her crew was perfect, and her 
commander, while severely exacting, treated his men 
with great kindness and consideration. 

On the night of September 9, 18 14, just two weeks 
after the burnir of Washington, wind and tide suit- 
ing, the Armstrong got under weigh with her great 
spread of sail and a ten knot breeze. At midnight she 
ran close aboard of an English razee and ship-of-the- 
line, and as she flew past the " mudscows," as the 
crew called the clumsy Britishers, she was soon out of 
range of their guns, and the enemy gave up their 
attempted pursuit. 

At noon on the twenty-sixth of September, just 
ten days before Admiral Cochrane sailed from the 
Chesapeake, the Armstrong made the island of Fayal, 
and ran into the bay of the town of Da Horta, to refill 
with water. The shore of the bay, which is crescent 
shaped, is surrounded by a high sea-wall, in the 
center of which lies the castle of Santa Cruz. Oppo- 
site, to the eastward, lies the island of Pico, four miles 
distant, with its volcanic mountain rising to a height 
of seventy-six hundred feet. It was in this bay, 



Samuel Chestei'- Reici. 397 

surrounded by the most romantic scenery, that the 
battle of Fayal took place. 

Captain Reid had gone ashore to make arrange- 
ments with the American consul, Mr. John B. Dabney, 
for a supply of fresh water, and had accepted the invit- 
tation of that patriotic and hospitable gentleman of 
the old school, to dine with him. In making inquiry 
about the enemy's cruisers. Captain Reid was informed 
by Mr. Dabney that none had visited those islands for 
several weeks. About 5 p. m. Captain Reid returned 
aboard his vessel with the consul and several gentle- 
men in company. 

While they were conversing, it being nearly sun- 
down, the British brig-of-war Cai'uation suddenly 
hove in sight close under the northeast headland of 
the harbor, and entering the bay, anchored within half 
a cable's length of the Armstrong. Soon after, the 
frigate Rosa and ship-of-the-line Plantagenet followed 
and came to anchor in the roads, the squadron being 
on its way to join Cochrane's fleet at Jamaica. 

Commodore Lloyd, who commanded the squadron, 
had previously learned from the pilot out at sea, that 
the Armstrong was in the harbor, and he at once 
determined upon her capture. The brig Carnation 
immediately began signalling with the fleet, threw out 
four large launches or boats and began to pass arms 
into them. 

All these movements could be seen, and the orders 
given, distinctly heard on board the Armstrong. At 



398 America?i Naval Heroes. 

the same time the British brig made every preparation 
to intercept the privateer should she attempt to escape. 
Although Captain Reid had been assured by the 
American consul, of the perfect safety of his vessel, 
being in a neutral port, he now felt certain from the 
manoeuvers of the fleet and the preparations going on 
that there would be trouble, and he accordingly told 
the gentlemen that they would better go on shore. 

After their departure a council was held among the 
officers of the Armstrong, and it was at first suggested 
that they should make an effort to get out to sea, but 
the wind being light it was decided to haul close in 
under the guns of the castle for protection. 

Captain Reid immediately gave secret orders to 
clear the deck for action and cautioned the crew to 
make as little noise as possible. He then cut his 
cable, got out sweeps and began to pull in shore to 
the castle. The Carnation immediately dropped her 
topsails and made sail to prevent the privateer from 
going out of harbor should she attempt it, while the 
boats which were lying alongside were ordered in 
chase of the Arnistro7tg. 

It was now about eight o'clock in the evening. 
The moon which was near its full was gradually rising, 
and silver-sprinkling with its beam the beautiful bay, 
the hills of Da Horta and Mount Pico, while not a 
ripple broke the stillness of the glittering surface save 
the splash of the oars of the four large launches well 
armed, carrying about forty men each, which were 



Samuel Chester Reid. 399 

pulling swiftly toward the privateer. Captain Reid 
immediately ceased pulling toward the shore, let go 
his anchor and got springs on his cable so as to bring 
the vessel broadside to the enemy. 

At this time one of the launches which was consid- 
erably in the advance pulled up under the stern of the 
Armstrong, when Reid with speaking trumpet in hand, 
and all hands at quarters, hailed the boat three times. 
No answer was returned except by one of the sailors, 
who asked in a gruff voice what was the matter. The 
officer replied: "Make no answer, sir ; pull away my 
lads," and the next moment the word was given " toss 
oars," and with their boat-hooks they hauled alongside 
under the port quarters of the privateer. The officer 
in the boat then cried out : " Fire and board, my lads," 
and as the men rose from their seats Captain Reid 
instantly gave word to his marines to fire, which was 
almost simultaneous on the part of both. 

One man on board the privateer was instantly 
killed, and the first lieutenant, Fred A. Worth, a 
brother of General W. J. Worth of the United States 
army, was wounded. The men in the boat were 
severely cut up and they cried out for quarter, while 
the other three boats pulling up at full speed on the 
starboard side immediately opened their fire. They 
were received with a full broadside of grape and 
canister, which was followed by the shrieks and groans 
of the wounded and dying. A fierce struggle now 
ensued in which the enemy made a desperate attempt 



400 American Naval Heroes. 

to board ; but staggered and appalled by the galling 
fire of the privateer they cried out for quarter and the 
boats pulled off in a sinking condition with great loss, 
Captain Reid refusing to take them prisoners. 

The General Armstrong then weighed anchor and 
pulled toward the shore, about half pistol-shot from 
the castle, where she was moored head and stern, near 
the beach, with her port side next to the shore. 

The Carnation meanwhile sailed down to the fleet, 
and it was soon evident that they had determined on a 
more formidable attack. The American consul at this 
time had written a note to the Portuguese governor, 
demanding protection for the privateer, but the 
governor simply dispatched a note to Admiral Lloyd, 
requesting him to abstain from further hostilities. To 
this note Lloyd replied that, as the Americans had 
first fired into one of their boats without any prov- 
ocation, he now determined at all hazards to take the 
privateer, and that if protection were afforded her he 
would fire into the town. About 9 p. m., the wind 
having breezed up, the enemy's brig was observed 
standing in with a large fleet of boats in tow, number- 
ing fourteen, and carrying between forty and fifty men 
each, armed with carronades, swivels, blunderbusses 
and muskets, making an aggregate force of at least 
five hundred and sixty men. When within gun-shot 
the boats cast off from the brig, and took their sta- 
tions in three divisions under cover of a small reef or 
island of rocks, within musket-shot of the General 



Samuel Chester Reid. \o\ 

Armstrong. The brig kept under way to act with the 
boats in case the Armstrong attempted to escape. In 
the meantime terror and consternation had spread 
through the town. The windows of the houses 
nearest the scene were filled with women, and the sea- 
walls were crowded with the inhabitants, awaiting 
with intense excitement the coming attack. 

There lay the American brig with her tall, tapering 
spars, sleeping on the moonlit waters, as quiet and 
peaceful as an over-wearied child. There she lay, like 
a phantom ship ; not a movement was to be seen, 
not a sound was heard to break the stillness of her 
decks, seemingly deserted, from the death-like silence 
which prevailed. 

Notwithstanding, Captain Reid had made every 
preparation to receive the enemy on all sides, and his 
crew were then lying concealed at their quarters. In 
this position the belligerants remained for nearly three 
hours, watching each other with painful interest. 

When it is considered that the crew of the Arm- 
strong had nothing to gain, and had no motive for 
remaining by their vessel but the defense of their 
country's honor, when they saw the terrible odds that 
opposed them, and which threatened a fearful retribu- 
tion, it is remarkable that they stood so firm, and their 
wonderful discipline and courage may be imagined. 

At length, at midnight, the enemy seemed 
resolved upon the attack, and the boats were observed 
in motion. Instead of approaching by divisions, as 



402 American Naval Heroes. 

Captain Reid expected, they came on in solid column, 
in direct line. When about twenty-five yards off, 
Captain Reid ordered his men to stand by after the 
fire, to run in the guns, and lash in the ports in order 
to prevent the enemy from getting through the port- 
holes on boarding, as they would not have time to 
reload the guns before the enemy would be alongside. 
The men were then cautioned to wait for the word, 
and to be sure of their object. The Long Tom, a 
forty-two-pounder, placed on a pivot amidships, was 
sighted with fearful accuracy. 

On came the British boats with undaunted intre- 
pidity. They were again hailed by Captain Reid, but 
no answer was returned. 

The fatal command was then given, and at once a 
destructive fire was opened on the enemy, the thun- 
der and crash of which broke the charmed stillness of 
the midnight scene. The discharge of the Long Tom 
rather staggered them for the moment, but they 
warmly returned the fire, remanned their oars, and 
giving three cheers came on most spiritedly. 

The crew of the ^rwj'/r^';/^ asked if they should 
return the cheer. 

"No," replied Captain Reid, "no cheering until 
we have gained a victory." 

In a moment they succeeded in gaining the bow 
and starboard quarter of the Armstrong. The cry of 
the officers commanding the boats was, 

" Up and board, my lads — no quarter ! " 



Samuel Chester Reid. 403 

At the same instant they opened a terrific fire 
with carronades, swivels, bkinderbusses and muskets. 
They were g-allantly met by the crew of the privateer 
in their black leather boarding caps, strapped with 
steel, looking like demons, with boarding pikes, mus- 
kets, battle-axes, pistols and cutlasses. The vessel 
soon became one broad sheet of fire, the red glare of 
which strangely contrasted with the brilliant light of 
the moon, now ridinor hicrh in mid-heaven. Shrieks 

o o 

and yells, orders and oaths, amid the clang of sabres, 
were heard on both sides through the din and roar of 
the musketry. Again and again the enemy, led by 
their officers, attempted to gain the deck of the little 
brig, but were repulsed at all times with immense loss. 
The battle now raged with the greatest fury. The 
Americans fought with the desperation of fiends. 
Making a last desperate effort to board, the enemy 
gained the spritsail yard and bowsprit of the Arm- 
stro7ig, and were pressing their way to her deck, when 
the American sailors wielding their battle-axes, sabres 
and pikes with the skill and might of the knights of 
old, drove back England's best and bravest men with 
horrid slauohter. The second lieutenant of the Arm- 

o 

strong, Mr. Alexander O. Williams, was killed at this 
moment, while gallantly leading on his forward divi- 
sion ; and the third lieutenant, Mr. Robert Johnson, 
also fell dangerously wounded. 

At the same instant Captain Reid, who commanded 
the after division, was engaged beating off two larp-'" 



404 American N^aval Heroes. 

launches, the men and officers of which had succeeded 
in cHmbing up the sides of the Armstrong. One of 
the latter, the first lieutenant of the Rota, William 
Matterface, who commanded the attack, had engaged 
Captain Reid in a hand-to-hand fight with cutlasses, 
and once or twice came near overpowering him. Cap- 
tain Reid, being left-handed, used his right in firing 
pistols which the powder boys handed him, while he 
continued to fio;ht with the British lieutenant with his 
left hand, disdainino" to shoot down his brave adver- 
sary. At last the British lieutenant, making a feint, 
brought down a desperate blow, the force of which 
Captain Reid had just time to break, though he was 
slightly cut across the head and his thumb and fore- 
finger nearly severed. Before the Englishman could 
recover Captain Reid struck him down and he fell 
back dead into the boat. 

It was at this critical juncture that Captain Reid 
was informed of the death of his second lieutenant, 
and that his third lieutenant was badly wounded. 

Having succeeded in beating the boats off the 
quarter, and being the only officer on deck, he per- 
ceived that the fire had slackened on the forecastle. 
At once rallying the whole of the after division, they 
rushed forward with a shout and opened a fresh fire, 
while he ordered the forward division to heave cold 
shot into the boats and sink them, as those men were 
out of cartridges. The enemy, appalled with conster- 
nation and dismay, fell back to their boats and retreated. 



Saimicl Chester Reid. 405 

when Captain Reid, bringing the Long Tom to bear 
upon them, fired the gun himself, which flew off the 
carriage, doing fearful destruction and resulting in the 
total defeat of the British. Then it was that Captain 
Reid cried out : 

" Now is the time to cheer, my boys," and three 
wild, enthusiastic cheers re-echoed over the bay from 
shore to shore. The Americans among the crowd on 
the sea-walls hailed the Armstrong, and asked if Cap- 
tain Reid were safe, and being answered in the affirm- 
ative, gave three tremendous cheers in return. 

The scene which now presented itself was one of 
indescribable horror. The silvered waters of the bay 
were crimsoned with blood. Dark form^ of dead 
bodies floated around on every side, while the groans 
and death shrieks of the wounded struggling around 
the boats pierced the air. Many of the boats had 
been sunk. Two large launches belonging to the frig- 
ate Rota lay alongside the Armstrong with two other 
boats, literally loaded with their own dead. In a boat 
belonging to the Plantagcnet all were killed save four. 
In another boat which had contained fifty souls, but 
one solitary officer escaped, and he was wounded. 
Pour boats floated ashore full of dead bodies. Some 
of the boats were left with but a single man, while 
others had but three or four to row them. The term- 
ination was nearly a total massacre. This action 
lasted about forty minutes. The English force, esti- 
mating forty men to a boat, was about five hundred 



4o6 American Naval Heroes. 

and sixty men. The English themselves acknowl- 
edged a loss in this attack of one hundred and twenty 
killed and one hundred and thirty wounded, but it 
must have been far greater. 

The deck of the Armstrong, which was in great 
confusion, and slippery with human gore, was now 
cleared up, the Long Tom remounted, and prepara- 
tions made for a fresh action should the enemy again 
attack her. About this time Captain Reid received 
the following note from the American consul. 

Captain Reid, 

Dear Sir : — You have performed a most brilliant action in 
beating off fourteen boats of the British ships in this road. They 
say they will carry the brig, cost what it will, and that the English 
brig will haul close in to attack you at the same time the boats do. 
My dear fellow, do not uselessly expose yourself, if again attacked 
by an overwhelming force, but scuttle the brig near the beach and 
come on shore with your brave crew. 

Yours truly, 

J. B. Dabney. 

Two o'clock Tuesday morning, September 27th, 1814. 

This note was brought on board the Armstrong 
by Charles W. Dabney, son of the consul, then twenty 
years of age, who afterward succeeded his father. 

Captain Reid then went on shore, and after receiv- 
ing the congratulations of the consul, was informed 
that the governor had again written to Commodore 
Lloyd, remonstrating against any further attack, but 
Lloyd sent answer that he was determined to capture 
the Armstrong, and that if the governor suffered the 



Samuel Chester Reid. 407 

Americans to injure her in any manner he should con- 
sider the place an enemy's port, and treat it accord- 
ingly. Returning on board, Captain Reid determined 
to defend his vessel to the last. He accordingly 
ordered the dead and wounded to be taken on shore, 
and he prepared for the worst. 



;fc.L 







The Privateer "Brigadier-General Armstrong," Capt. S. C. Reid. 

At daylight on the morning of the twenty-seventh 
the Carnation was observed under weigh, and stood 
close in for the little brig, when she immediately 
opened a heavy fire with all her force. The crew of 
the Armstrong, as if supernatural spirits, or holding- 
charmed lives, still grimly stood by their little vessel, 



4o8 American Naval Heroes. 

returning broadside for broadside with wonderful 
effect, Long Tom doing spendid execution. The 
maintopmast of the Carnatioii soon fell by the board, 
she was much cut up in her hull and rigging, and 
her loss of men was so great that her guns became 
silenced and she was forced to retire. It was a 
sublime spectacle to see the little brigantine, with 
but a handful of men, fighting a hopeless battle 
against such tremendous odds, in vindication of her 
rights and her country's honor, with her colors flying 
in reckless defiance. 

Finding all further resistance fruitless. Captain 
Reid blew a hole through the bottom of his vessel to 
prevent her capture, and then, with his gallant crew, 
took to the boats and went on shore. The Carnation, 
soon after perceiving that the Armstrong was 
deserted, sent two armed boats to seize her, but find- 
ing she was scuttled, they set her on fire, when she 
blew up in a blaze of glory. 

In the three engagements that occurred with the 
Arnistro?tg, the British loss was two hundred and ten 
killed and one hundred and forty wounded making a 
total of three hundred and fifty. The loss of the 
Armstrong, marvelous to state, was but two killed and 
seven wounded. 

After the burning of the Armstro7ig, Commodore 
Lloyd, frenzied with disappointment and athirst for 
revenge, demanded that the governor should deliver 
up her crew as prisoners of war. The governor 



Samuel CJicster Rcid. 409 

refused, on the ground that it would be in violation 
of his neutrality, when Lloyd threatened to send a 
large armed force on shore to take them dead or 
alive. Thus threatened, Captain Reid with his men, 
all fully armed, took refuge in an old deserted con- 
vent about half a mile in the interior, fortified it and 
cut away an adjoining drawbridge, and running up 
the American flag bade defiance to their foes, deter- 
mined to defend themselves to the last. Seeino- this 
last demonstration of American courage Commodore 
Lloyd gave up the contest and occupied himself with 
burying his dead. 

A letter published in Cobbdfs Weekly Register, 
December 10, 18 14, written to Mr. Cobbett at London, 
by an English gentlemen who was an eye witness of 
the midnight attack, after stating the great loss the 
British sustained, added: 

"With great reluctance I state that they (the 
boats) were manned with picked men, and com- 
manded by the first, second, third and fourth lieu- 
tenants of the Plantagenct, first, second, third and 
fourth ditto of the frigate, and the first officer of 
the brig, together with a great number of mid- 
shipmen. Our whole force exceeded four hundred 
men ; but three officers escaped, two of whom are 
wounded. This bloody and unfortunate contest lasted 
about forty minutes. 

" The squadron," he also adds, " was detained ten 
days at Fayal, repairing damages and in burying their 



4IO American Naval Heroes. 

dead. Two sloops of war, the Thais and Calypso, 
which arrived two days afterward, were sent back to 
Eno"land with their wounded." 

The final act of this tragic naval drama, was the 
very essence and height of patriotic valor and heroism. 
The splendid courage and personal prowess by which 
Captain Reid, his officers and crew achieved so glori- 
ous a victory over the immensely superior force of the 
British squadron, has never been exceeded, even by 
the exploits of the knights in the olden days of roman- 
tic chivalry. Yet at the time he was ignorant that he 
had by his undaunted courage ia defeating and dis- 
abling the British squadron, saved Louisiana from 
England's conquest. He was only conscious that he 
had done his duty in vindicating the honor of his 
country and defending untarnished the sovereignty of 
the American flagf. This alone induced him and his 
noble crew to peril their lives against such fearful odds, 
and to perform such acts of valor. 

After it became evident that Commodore Lloyd 
did not intend to execute, his threat to take Captain 
Reid and his crew prisoners, they returned to the town 
of Horta. 

Several British officers, who had come ashore to 
attend the burial of their deceased comrades, sent a 
note to Captain Reid, who was then a guest of Consul 
Dabney, with the request that he meet them at the 
British consul's. Mr. Dabney who was of the opinion 
that it was only a ruse to arrest Captain Reid or bring 



Sanniel Chester Reid. 411 

about a duel, counselled him not to g-o. But Reid 
said that he did not apprehend any indignity, and not 
to go would be treating- the officers with discourtesy. 

He accordingly dressed in full uniform, with sash 
and sabre, and as he approached the quarters of the 
British consul he observed several British officers 
standing in front of the house, who upon recognizing 
him, lifted their caps and gave him a cheer, to his 
great surprise 

Captain Reid was invited to enter the house, and 
three of the officers requested him to accompany them 
to a private room, to which request he acceded, though 
wondering much when within the room to see one of 
them turn and lock the door. 

" Gentlemen," said Captain Reid " you are three to 
one, but if any of you are desirous of any satisfaction 
I am ready to give it to you." 

But they replied : 

" We must beg you to excuse us, Captain, but we 
have a bet which we can only settle by begging you to 
prove to us that you do not wear a shirt of mail, as we 
cannot understand how it was that the bullets we fired 
at you never seemed to strike you. I myself," said the 
speaker, " fired at you again and again." Captain 
Reid laughed and said : 

"As you have a bet, gentlemen, I will not refuse 
your request and you may satisfy yourselves that I 
wear no shirt of mail, and you have my word that I 
have never worn one." 



412 Arnerican Naval Heroes. 

The officers then introducing themselves, expressed 
their surprise and admiration of so brave a foe, 
and assuring Captain Reid that though their gov- 
ernments were at war, it did not prevent a Briton 
from appreciating true valor wherever it was found, 
and begged him to join them in a bottle of wine. 

Another interesting incident occurred, which dis- 
played the love of the crew for their gallant little 
vessel. At the time that the Arnistrojig was scuttled 
and was being deserted, some of the sailors cried out, 
"We must save the ' Old General,' boys" — as they 
called the figure-head — and in spite of their becoming 
a target for the enemy they severed with their battle 
axes the g^rim lookino; bust of the ' Old General ' from 
the bow and bore it in triumph to the shore. 

This quaint specimen of the ship-carver's art of by 
gone days, was placed over the gates leading to the 
grand mansion of the American consul. For years it 
was decorated every Fourth of July by the Dabneys, 
with flowers and the American flag. It was called 
" El Santo Americano," by the Portuguese peasantry, 
who never failed to cross themselves as they passed it. 

In later years, the American consul, Mr. Charles 
B, Dabney, son of John B. Dabney, presented this 
venerable relic to the Naval Lyceum, at Boston, Mass., 
where it now remains in a good state of preservation. 

The news of the battle of Fayal reached the United 
States about the middle of November, 1814; the 
reverses which had attended our arms on land, the 



Samuel Chester Reid. 413 

bankrupt condition of the government, and the burn- 
ing of our national capitol, had thrown a general 
gloom and despondency over the country. Under 
these circumstances, the news of the battle of the 
Armstrong and the extraordinary victory sent a thrill 
of joy through the hearts of the American people. 

But our government was as yet ignorant that the 
gallant defense of the little brig was to be the means 
of saving Louisiana from becoming another empire of 
India, by the grasp of England, for at this time all was 
ready at Jamaica for the attack on New Orleans. 

The troopships and transports with twelve thous- 
and veterans, under Generals Packenham and Keene, 
were eager for the fray. Admiral Sir Thomas Coch- 
rane, as he paced the deck of his flagship, was 
impatiently awaiting the arrival of Lloyd's squadron, 
but Lloyd was at Fayal burying his dead and repairing 
damages, causing the delay of his squadron for ten or 
twelve days. When Lloyd's squadron arrived in Negoil 
Bay in its crippled condition, he was loaded with bitter 
reproaches. A further detention of a week followed. 

At this time General Jackson's headquarters were 
at Mobile. On the 7th of November he had driven 
the British forces from the neutral Spanish town of 
Pensacola, and on his return to Mobile had learned 
of the suspected designs of the British fleet against 
New Orleans. By a forced march he arrived at New 
Orleans on the second of December with his two thou- 
sand Tennessee militia. 



414 American A'az'al Heroes. 

Cochrane's fleet arrived at Lake Borgne on the 
6th of December, just four days afterward. New 
Orleans was then utterly defenseless. It is evident 
that if Cochrane's fleet had arrived fifteen days sooner 
(the period of its delay) , the British troops could have 
taken taken possession of the city before any defense 
could have been made. And even as it was, General 
Jackson, that man of brilliant resources, barely had 
time to check the enemy by the affair of the 23rd of 
December and thus make possible his immortal vic- 
tory at New Orleans on January 8, 18 15. 

The Battle of Fayal was the last battle fought upon 
the seas, and the Battle of New Orleans the last upon 
the land, so that these two battles had in a blaze of 
glory finished the War of 1812-14. 

On the occasion of a resolution in the United States 
Senate in 1890, to strike a gold medal in commemora- 
tion of the services of Captain Reid, Senator Daniel 
W. Voorhees, in a speech of thrilling eloquence said : 

" But for the terrific injury inflicted on Lloyd's forces at Fayal, 
the British would have reached New Orleans as soon, if not much 
sooner, than General Jackson. Had this happened, that city would 
have fallen without a blow." 

Senator W. M. Evarts, followed in this tribute : 

" Mr. President, I have no need to add anything to the eloquent 
homage paid to the great fame of Captain Reid. Every word that 
the Senator from Indiana has said is as truthful as it was eloquent. 
There is not to be found in the classics or in modern history any 
stronger instance of personal prowess. But for Captain Reid that fight 
would not have been made ; and but for Captain Reid that battle 
would not have been won. So strong is this simile under the most 



Samuel CJiester Reid. 415 

diverse circumstances, tliat it may be said of Captain Reid as was 
said of Horatius at the bridge : ' If he had not kept the bridge, who 
would have saved the town?' This battle in the Port of Fayal was 
the bridge that he kept that saved the town of New Orleans, and 
saved the honor of the country." 

Governor Isaac Shelby of Kentucky, in a letter to 
Captain Reid, dated May 8, 1815, wrote: — 

" No one conflict during the war has placed the American 
character in so proud a view." 

On the fifteenth of November, 18 14, Captain Reid 
with his officers and crew proceeded to St. Mary's, Fla. 
He received ovations all the way from Savannah to 
New York. At Richmond, Va., the members of the 
legislature gave him a dinner at which Mr. Stevenson, 
the speaker of the House of Delegates, acted as presi- 
dent, and Mr. William Wirt as vice-president. After 
the regular toasts, on Captain Reid's retiring, the 
president gave: "Captain Reid — His valor has shed 
a blaze of renown upon the character of our seamen, 
and has won for him a laurel of eternal bloom." 

In the evening a grand ball was given in his honor 
by the prominent citizens of Richmond. 

On Captain Reid's return to the city of New York, 
where his family resided, the legislature of the State 
passed resolutions of thanks to him, his officers and 
crew, "for their intrepid valor in thus gloriously main- 
taining the honor of the American flag," and voted 
him a superb gold sword with an alto relievo in gold 
on the hilt representing the infant Hercules grappling 
with a lion. This was presented to him on November 



4i6 American Naval Heroes. 

25, 18 16, by Governor Tompkins, on the steps of the 
City Hall, amid a vast concourse of enthusiastic citizens. 

Soon after, at Tammany Hall, an elegant service of 
plate was presented to Captain Reid, consisting of a 
large silver pitcher with an emblematical engraving of 
the action, and suitable inscription thereon ; also a 
silver teapot, sugar bowl, milk ewer, slop-bowl, and 
two silver goblets, by the citizens of New York. This 
service is now in the possession of his daughter, 
Madame di Cesnola, of New York city. 

The Secretary of War offered him a past captaincy 
in the navy (there was no Secretary of the Navy then) 
which Captain Reid declined, having received offers of 
much more lucrative offices in New York. He accepted 
the position of Harbor Master of New York, and 
devoted his talents and genius to the benefit and 
service of his country. 

He was president of the Marine Society which he 
instituted for the improvement of the marine service 
and for the support of their widows and children. 
He was also vice president of the Nautical Society. 
He invented and erected the first marine telegraph 
between the Highlands of the Neversink on Staten 
Island, and the Battery of New York city. He also 
designed and published a national code of signals 
for all vessels belonging to the United States. He 
re-organized and perfected regulations for governing 
the pilots of New York and had the pilot boats 
numbered. 



Samuel Chester Reid. 4 1 7 

Through his efforts and instigation the government 
estabHshfed a hghtship off Sandy Hook, the first ever 
constructed. In 1826 he invented a new system of 
land telegraphs, by means of which he satisfactorily 
demonstrated that a message could be sent from 
Washington city to New Orleans in two hours. A 
bill was before Congress for its adoption, when Morse's 
discovery superseded it. 

Captain Reid also designed the United States flag 
under its present form, it having been altered from 
time to time on the admission of a new state. The 
last alteration was made on the occasion of the admis- 
sion of Vermont and Kentucky, in 1795, into the 
Union, when a resolution was passed "That the flag 
of the United States should be fifteen stripes alterna- 
ting red and white, and the Union fifteen stars, white 
in a blue field.' 

The bill was attacked by several members of Con- 
gress, it being declared that " at this rate we may go 
on adding and altering for a hundred years to come." 
It was not until 181 7, when five new states had been 
admitted to the Union, that Congressman Peter H. 
Wendover of New York, proposed to make a change 
in the flag, in view of the fact that there were five 
states not represented by stars. A committee was 
appointed to consider the proposition, and Captain 
Reid was invited to suggest a design. 

He recommended that the number of stripes be 
reduced to thirteen, to represent the thirteen original 



41 8 American Naval Heroes. 

states ; that each of these states be represented by 
a star ; and the stars be formed into one grand star, 
symbohzing the National motto, " E Pluribus Ujuim'' 
and that a star be added on the admission of each 
new state. The design was accepted, and a bill to 
establish the flag was passed and approved by Presi- 
dent Monroe on April 4, 18 18, as follows: 

"That from and after the fourth day of July next, 
the flaof of the United States be thirteen horizontal 
stripes, alternate red and white ; that the Union have 
twenty stars, white in a blue field ; that on the admis- 
sion of every new State into the Union, one star shall 
be added to the Union in the flag, and that such addi- 
tion shall take effect on the fourth day of July succeed- 
ing such admission." 

The law as then passed remains in force to-day. 
The first flag as designed by Captain Reid was made 
of silk by Mrs. Reid assisted by her young friends and 
each embroidered her name in the centre of a star. 
Mrs. Reid then sent the flag to Represetative Wend- 
over, who presented it in the name of Mrs. Reid to 
the government, and on April 13, 18 18, it was hoisted 
on the flag-staff of the House of Representatives. 

At the suggestion of President Tyler, he re-entered 
the navy in 1842 and was retired in 1856. 

He died on January 28, 1 861, in his seventy-eighth 
year, after a short illness from pneumonia, at his 
house on West 45th Street, New York city, surrounded 
by all the living members of his family. 



Samuel Chester Reid. 419 

His last words were, " Soon I shall solve the great 
mystery of life." 

The following is from the New York Herald of 
that date: 

FUNEIL^L OF CAPTAIN SAMUEL CHESTER REID. 

The funeral services of Captain Samuel Chester Reid, a hero of 
the war of i§i2, and a sketch of whose life was published in our 
edition of Tuesday, took place yesterday afternoon, from Trinity 
Church. The magnificent edifice was filled with a highly respect- 
able congregation, composed principally of the friends of the 
deceased patriot, who was greatly admired, loved and respected, not 
only by those immediately within the circle of his acquaintances, 
but also by the people of the whole country. The services were of 
the impressive character, peculiar to the Church of England, four 
ministers (The Rev. Messrs. Vinton, Ogilby, Ewer and another) 
officiating. About half-past two o'clock, the cofifin (which had been 
exposed in the vestibule of the church, where hundreds visited it) 
was beautifully decorated, and was brought into the middle aisle of 
the church and deposited before the altar. On the lid of the coffin 
was engraved the following : 

Captain Saml:el Chester Reid, U. S. N., 
Died January 28th, 185 1, 
Aged 78 years. 

Among those who acted as pall-bearers we noticed in uniform : 
Captain Ward, Captain Gansevort, Lieutenant McDermott and 
Lieutenant Heny, and in citizens' dress, Charles O'Connor, James 
r. Brady, Mr. Thomas Tileston and Mr. Paul Spofford. 

At the conclusion of the services the remains were conveyed to 
Greenwood Cemetery, followed by several hundred carriages. 




Fort Sumter, 



XXXVI. 



THE NAVY IN THE CIVIL WAR. 



For two hundred years, from 1640 to 1840, the 
o^eneral character of the ships used in the naval service 
of the civiHzed world had undergone no change. The 
great line-of-battle ship, the frigate, the ship-brig, the 
schooner and the sloop had possibly increased in size 
as nations vied with each other in floating heavy 
armament, or in constructing formidable battleships ; 
but the wind had be^n the only power by which they 
had been driven, and the navigator's skill had been 
directed toward the handling of these ships in all sorts 
of weather and under every condition or emergency. 

The advent of steam as motive power relegated to 
school practice in the navy yards and to occasional 
cruises in peaceful waters the former noble frigates 
with which Preble, Jones, Hull, Decatur, Truxton, 
Lawrence, Perry and Macdonough had won such glor- 
ious victories in the War of 18 12. All the ancient 
time-honored appliances of warfare and navigation had 
to be re-adjusted to meet the new order of things. 
There was to be no more display of superiority in sea- 
manship, by which one ship would by tacking and 



42 2 American N'aval Hei^oes. 

wearing, gain the advantage over its antagonists and 
the days of manoeuvring to keep the weather-gage, 
and of wetting down the canvas, and of trimming the 
yards, were over. The new warship had a motive 
power by which she could steer at will for any point 
of the compass, as far as dependence upon wind and 
sails were concerned. 

The naval warfare conducted by the ancient Greeks 
and Romans, with galleys propelled by a hundred 
oars, and with prow armored with iron or bronze mak- 
ing the boat a veritable battering ram — one of the 
most effective ancient weapons of warfare — was to be 
revived in the nineteenth century. Steam was to 
serve as the strong arms, and paddle-wheels and pro- 
pelling screws were to take the place of the sweeping 
oars to carry the vessel into any desired position. The 
cannon of the War of 1812 was to be supplanted 
by the large rifled gun or columbiad, which could carry 
a 13-inch shell with unerring precision for miles, 
leaving death and destruction in its wake. Then again 
from the ancients was to be borrowed the idea of the 
use of armor plate, not as heretofore for the protection 
of man and beast on the battle-field, but to save the 
ships's sides from the destructive effects of these heavy 
shot and shell. The helmet and coat of mail in an 
exaesferated form rendered the ironclad invulnerable 
at Hampton Roads, and on the Mississippi and Ark- 
ansas rivers the saucy little gunboat, with her impro- 
vised armor of railroad iron, bade defiance to the heavy 



The Navy in the Civil liar. 4-3 

euns of the forts as she ran their o-auntlet unharmed, 
to carry protection to the beseiged army beyond. 
Added to all these, the dread torpedo, devised by Ful- 
ton a half century before, was planted in the rivers 
and bays, there to be a permanent menace to intruding 
warships. 

Such was the condition of affairs when the peace 
of fifty years for the American navy was broken by a 
shot fired at a beseiged fort in Charleston harbor 
flying the American flag. 

The navy list of 1861 was half made up of sailing 
vessels. To be sure, there were some formidable 
steam frigates, useful in times of peace in making up 
respectable fleets at the various naval stations abroad. 
At the navy yards were some steamers laid up in 
ordinary, but which would require weeks and months 
to get ready for active service. 

Another difficulty confronted the navy department. 
The practice of regular and methodical advancement 
of officers by promotion in order of time of service, 
irrespective of ability, had left the navy encumbered 
with a host of men grown gray in the service dur- 
ing so many years of peace, and now ill-fitted, 
either by training or inclination, to enter into active 
vigorous operations against an enemy. 

The war of 18 12 had found in the navy a line of 
young officers — active captains and lieutenants — 
most of them under thirty-five years of age, ready to 
take any risk and able to endure any hardship. 



424 Aiuerican A' aval Heroes. 

The ranking officers of 1861 had been boys on 
board the saiHng-vessels of the old navy, and had 
not accustomed themselves to the modern appli- 
ances of the steam frigate. The fear that a shot from 
the enemy would pierce the boiler, disarrange the ma- 
chinery, unship the rudder, or run the ship aground, 
were a few of the causes of anxiety that made the 
older naval officers cautious and slow to move upon 
an untried sea filled with innumerable possibilities of 
danger. 

Then the seamen necessary to put the new navy 
on a war footing had to be drawn from the civil list 
and trained to the service, the government having no 
naval reserve to draw from. In fact, on the whole 
Atlantic coast there were not, in 1861, over two hun- 
dred trained seamen available for the naval service. 
In 1865 there were over fifty thousand enlisted men 
serving in the navy, many of them having only entered 
the service after being urged to do so by the generous 
bounty of one thousand and even fifteen hundred 
dollars. 

The first use to which the navy was put was to try 
to save the custom houses, mints, and Government 
properties along the coast. John A. Dix had been 
appointed secretary of the treasury to succeed Howell 
Cobb, and his first thought was to save the revenue 
cutters Cass, at Mobile, Ala., and McClelland, at New 
Orleans, La., from falling into the hands of the state 
authorities. Captain Breshwood of the McClelland 



The Navy i)i the Civil War. 425 

was a southern sympathizer, and refused to obey 
the orders of the Secretary, and the second officer, 
Caldwell, dared not move agauist his superior. Find- 
ing this condition of affairs, the treasury agent, 
Hemphill Jones, telegraphed the department at Wash- 
ington for instructions. It was this request that called 
forth the famous telegram, which was the rallying cry 
of the whole patriotic North at this early stage of the 
Civil War. 

Treasury Department. 
Washington, Jan. 21, 1861. 

To Hemphill J(»nes, Esq., 

Special Agent for the U. S. Treasury Department, New 
Orleans, La. 

Tell Lieutenant Caldwell to arrest Captain Breshwood, assume 
command of the cutter, and obey the order through you. If Cap- 
tain Breshwood, after arrest, undertakes to interfere with the com- 
mand of the cutter, tell Lieutenant Caldwell to consider him as a 
mutineer, and treat him accordingly. If any one attempts to haul 
down the American flag, shoot him on the spot. 

John A. Dix, 
Secretary of the 'Treasury . 

The dispatch was unfortunately intercepted on its 
way, and failed to reach Special Agent Jones, so the 
cutter fell into the hands of the authorities of the State 
of Louisiana, and when Jones reached Mobile, the Cass 
had been taken possession of by the State of Alabama. 

On the advent of a new administration, March 4, 
1 86 1, with the Government in the possession of but a 
sinele fort on the entire Atlantic coast below Fort 
Monroe, a condition of affairs presented itself to the 



4^6 American iVavai Heroes. 

Navy department that would need active and 
speedy adjustment. There were 3,000 miles of sea- 
coast to be effectually blockaded. The Southern 
States were rich in cotton, and the nations of Europe 
were ready to exchange for this cotton the munitions 
of war, of which the Confederacy stood in so great 
need. With open ports, and with 4,000,000 slaves to 
produce cotton, they had the markets of the world at 
their doors, and the issues of war would be but the 
matter of a short campaign before foreign nations 
would demand their independence. The responsi- 
bility for an effective blockade rested upon the United 
States Navy. In the past the country had found 
that navy always ready for duty; but in 1861 half of 
the officers and men had gone out of the service 
of the Government to give their allegiance to their 
native states. 

The emergency, however, gave birth to new men 
able to meet the issue, and out from these sprang the 
naval heroes of 1861-65. The department had but 
few ships, and their officers were untried in the new 
methods of naval warfare. They had no light-draft 
vessels to enter the harbor and hold the port, then in 
possession of the enemy. They had no formidable 
ironclads to retake the forts and to re-establish the 
custom houses from which the Stars and Stripes had 
been hauled down. 

As to the ships, there was a home squadron of 
twelve vessels, one-half of them sailino- craft. The 



The Navy in the Civil War. 427 

Paivnee, a screw sloop-of-war, was in the yard at 
Washington, and carried 8 guns, and the Crusader 
and Mohawk, steamers of 8 and 5 guns respectively, 
were in the navy yard at New York, which, with the 
steamship Supply, 4 guns, lately returned from Pensa- 
cola, made up the entire fleet in Northern waters. 

The frigate Sabine, 50 guns, the sloop St. Louis, 
20 guns, the steamers Brooklyji, 25 guns, and Wyan- 
dotte, 5 guns, were at Pensacola, and the sloops Mace- 
doniaii and Cumberland, of 24 guns each, with the 
steamers Pocahontas and Powhatan, were at Vera 
Cruz. In June and July the steam sloops Richmond, 
Iroquois, and Susquehanna arrived from the Mediter- 
ranean, and later in the year the sloops Constellation 
and Portsmouth, the steam sloops Mohicaji and San 
Jacinto, the steamers Mystic and Sumter, and the 
storeship Relief reached home from the coast of 
Africa, and the frigate Congress and steam sloop Sctu- 
i?iole arrived from Brazil. These vessels made up the 
entire navy of 1861. 

Early in 1862 the sloop John Adams and the 
steam sloops Hartford and Dakotah came in from the 
East Indies, leaving the sloop Saratoga, 18 guns, on 
the coast of Africa, the steamer Pulaski, one gun, on 
the coast of Brazil, and the steamer Saginaw, 3 guns, 
in the East Indies, the sole representatives of our 
Government in foreign waters. These, with the steam 
frigate, Niagara, returning from Japan, the few ves- 
sels stationed on the Pacific coast, and four tenders 



428 American Naval Heroes. 

and storeships, made up a total of forty-two vessels, 
carrying 555 guns, and manned with 7,600 seamen in 
commission, March 4, 1861. 

The vessels dismantled and in ordinary at the vari- 
ous yards in possession of the government, exclusive 
of those lost by the destruction of the Norfolk Navy 
Yard, were the frigates Potomac, St. Lazvrence and 
Santee ; the sloops SavaJDiak, yaiitestoivn, Vinccnncs, 
Marion, Dale and Preble ; the brigs Bainbridge and 
Perry ; and the steamers Roanoke, Colorado, Minne- 
sota, Wabash, Pensacola, Mississippi and Water 
Witch, and these were put into commission during 
the latter part of 1861. 

The government constructed and purchased other 
steam vessels of every class, which they armed and 
equipped, until they floated on December 31, 1861, a 
navy of 211 vessels, armed with 2,301 guns, represent- 
ing a tonnage of 176,468, and manned by 20,000 sea- 
men. At that date they had fifty-two vessels of 
41,448 tons, to carry 256 guns, on the stocks in pro- 
cess of construction. These figures tell better than 
words the growth of the navy to meet an emergency. 
We must remember, however, that the vessels of 
largest tonnage and greatest number of guns were the 
useless ones, which included six ships-of-the-line, 
seven frigates, seventeen sloops, and two brigs, carry- 
ing in all 1,208 guns, and measuring 44,768 tons. 

There was little opportunity during the first year 
of the war for the officers of the navy to exhibit that 




—7^ 






The Navy in the Civil War. 429 

courage, zeal and heroism manifested at a later 
period, but at the end of the year the Secretary of the 
Navy in his report paid this tribute to the officers and 
men of the service: " To the patriotic officers of the 
navy and the brave men who, in various scenes of 
naval action, have served under them, the department 
and the government justly owe an acknowledgment 
ever more earnest and emphatic. Courage, ability, 
unfaltering fidelity and devotion to the cause of their 
country, have been the general and noble character- 
istics of their conduct in the arduous and important 
service with which they have been entrusted. We 
state, in all confidence, that in their hands the historic 
renown of the American navy has been elevated and 
augmented." 

That the blockade was effective is shown by the 
recorded losses to the Confederacy of 11 19 vessels 
captured by our navy and condemned as prizes, 
among which were 210 fast steamers. There were 
besides these 355 vessels burned or otherwise de- 
stroyed, and the total value of vessels and cargoes 
thus condemned or destroyed was over $30,000,000. 
While accounts of naval battles are more readable 
than dry statistics of the result of dull blockade, their 
value to the government is much less. The blockade, 
which led to the impoverishing of the Confederate 
army and the recapture of the forts and seaports 
which followed, cut off foreign supplies and virtually 
ended the rebellion. 



XXXVII. 

HENRY WALKE. 

"The evils of war should l)e strongly impressed upon the minds of our 
people and the effects of war should be carefully recorded for the instruction of 
posterity. Flattering accounts of glorious victories should not alone fill the 
pages of our history, for such often intoxicate the minds with vanity and falsa 
ideas as to the nature and consequences of war." — Rear Admiral Henrv IValkc. 

The first serious event in the war between the 
government of the United States and the states in 
rebelhon occurred January 12, 1861, when the forts, 
navy yard and government property at Pensacola 
were surrendered by Commodore James Armstrong, 
U. S. N., to the state authorities of Florida without 
defense. The Stars and Stripes were hauled down by 
William Conway, a seaman and acting quartermaster, 
in obedience to the order of Lieutenant Francis B. 
Renshaw, of the United States navy. 

Fort Barrancas, an historical stronghold built by the 
Spanish immigrants in the seventeenth century, Fort 
McCrea, the navy yard at Warrington, and the United 
States Hospital, surrendered with their officers and 
men, who were made prisoners of war, and this con- 
dition of affairs left the responsibility for the safety 
of the remaining property and garrison of the naval 
station to Commander Henry Walke, the ranking naval 
officer, who had arrived at the yard December 7, i860, 



432 American Naval Heroes. 

with the United States storeship Supply, for stores for 
the United States squadron at Vera Cruz. The slav^es 
used at the fort as laborers, and hired for this purpose 
from their owners, had been withdrawn, their masters 
fearing that the United States Government would not 
pay for the labor. This delayed the loading of the 
vessel, and meanwhile Commandant Armstrong- had 
directed Walke to carry provisions to Fort Pickens, 
and then to return to the navy yard and finish loading 
for Vera Cruz. This order was dated January lo, 
1 86 1, and if it had been literally carried out it would 
have resulted in the surrender of Fort Pickens at the 
same time that Commodore Armstrong yielded pos- 
session of Fort McCrea, Fort Barrancas and the navy 
yard. Commander Walke took the responsibility 
of remaining to support Lieutenant Slemmer, who 
assured him that with his co-operation in removing the 
garrison to Fort Pickens, and dismantling the aban- 
doned forts, he could hold the fort against any force 
for six months. After transporting from Fort Bar- 
rancas to Fort Pickens, the ammunition, provisions 
and other articles necessary to the comfort of the 
beseiged garrison he destroyed the powder and muni- 
tions of war likely to fall into the hands of the state 
authorities, and as the facts of history bear out, was 
the first and immediate instrument in causing results 
that led to the refusal of England to acknowledge the 
independence of the Southern States, which she at the 
time was but too anxious to do. 



Henry Walke. 433 

Learning that the flag still floated over Fort 
Pickens, Mr. Seward prevailed on the President to 
strengthen immediately the defense of the fort, and 
the relief afforded resulted in the recapture of the 
other forts and the entire possession of Pensacola Bay 
and the coast of Florida, down to and including- the 
port of Key West, early in 1862. The Secretary of 
State was thus able to refute the claim of the Confed- 
eracy to entire possession of her sea coast, as a reason 
for immediate recognition as a separate nation, and 
pointed to the possession of this territory as a chief 
argument. 

Finding that he could do a great service to his 
government by taking on board and carrying directly 
to a place of safety the women, children and invalid 
soldiers and marines now harbored in the forts, he took 
the responsibility of returning to New York with one 
hundred and eio^ht non-combatants, who, includine the 
paroled prisoners, were in danger of suffering great 
privations if left behind. 

He sailed from Pensacola Bay, January 15, 1861. 
Afterward the arrival of the Brooklyn, Sabine and 
St. Louis made the position of Lieutenant Slemmer 
less dangerous, and he enjoyed the proud distinction 
of holding the only fort on the South Atlantic coast, 
and maintaining at its flagstaff the Stars and Stripes. 
Upon reporting February 4, 1861, from New York, 
to the Secretary of the Navy, Isaac Tousey, Com- 
mander Walke gave a full history of his action in 



434 Americafi Naval Heroes. 

defense of the government property, and the condi- 
tions under which he had left the harbor. 

Upon the accession of a new administration, 
March 4, 1861, his action was questioned, and he was 
submitted to a court-martial, which resulted in his 
being admonished by the secretary of the navy, not- 
withstanding Commodore Armstrong's statement "that 
he did not consider that there was any disobedience on 
the part of Commodore Walke in not returning to the 
yard, for he could not discharge the duties on which 
he had been dispatched," and without supplies short 
of New York there was no port from which they could 
have been obtained to render his voyage to Vera Cruz 
necessary. 

History will yet do justice to the brave officer who, 
while the earliest of the naval heroes born of the Civil 
War, and its first martyr, lived to do valiant service, 
even in subordinate positions, and fully vindicated his 
valor, patriotism and humanity. 

In the operations of the navy on the Western 
rivers he was the pioneer in gun-boat fighting as 
he had been the hero in rescuing, provisioning and 
encouraging the little band of patriot soldiers in Fort 
Pickens in the dark days of 1861. 

Henry Walke was born in Princess Anne County, 
Va., December 24, 1808, of Dutch descent. His first 
American ancestor, Anthony Walke, came from Eng- 
land and settled in Virginia. His father, Anthony 
Walke, removed from Virginia to Chillicothe, Ohio, in 



Hciiry Walke. 435 

181 1. When the boy was nineteen years old he 
entered the United States Navy as midshipman, and 
served under Lieutenant David G. Farragut. 

After a service of six years he was promoted passed 
midshipman, and the same year was further advanced 
to Heutenant. During the Mexican War he partici- 
pated in the naval engagements that resulted in the 
capture of Vera Cruz, Tobasco, Tespan and Alverado. 
In 1855 ^^ ^"^"^"^ made commander of the United States 
ship Supply, employed in African and West Indian 
waters. His last service in that ship was to fortify 
and provision Fort Pickens and to transfer the paroled 
officers and civilians from the captured forts and navy 
yard to New York. 

When, in 1861, the government determined upon 
employing a naval force on the Western rivers, to 
co-operate with the army, Commander John Rodgers 
was ordered to St. Louis, where James B. Eads, a civil 
engineer, was building a flotilla of iron-plated gun- 
boats. Three river steamboats purchased in Cincin- 
nati were hastily transformed into gun-boats and 
placed in commission. They were the Taylor, Lex- 
ington, and Conestoga. The first-named, bearing the 
commander's flag, carried an armament of six 64- 
pounder broadside guns. 

These steamers with immense paddle-wheels and 
high pilot-houses, not being iron-clad, were ill-adapted 
for the purpose of opposing the Confederate river bat- 
teries, generally located on bluffs from which they 



436 A77ie7'ican Naval Heroes. 

could fire plunging shot, and while they did good ser- 
vice, proved to be veritable slaughter pens to the 
officers and pilots. 

On September 12, 1861, Flag Officer Foote or- 
dered Commander Walke to the Taylor to relieve 
Commander Rodgers, and Walke at once proceeded 
with the flotilla from Paducah to Cairo, where, with a 
number of army officers detailed by General Grant, he 
proceeded down the Mississippi River to Columbus to 
determine the position and strength of the enemy. 

This was the first reconnoissance made by a gun- 
boat on the Western waters, and the Taylor was thus 
continually employed by the army during September, 
October and November, 1861. On November 7, 
1 86 1, the Taylor, with her consort the Lexington, 
Lieutenant Stembel, convoyed the transports contain- 
ing the entire land forces of General Grant, down the 
river from Cairo to Belmont. 

During the battle of Belmont the gun-boats were 
ordered to attack the Confederate batteries, in order to 
divert their fire. This was effectually done, until the 
heavy guns of the batteries forced the wooden gun- 
boats to withdraw. 

Commander Walke here found that he could run 
close to the batteries and deliver broadsides into the 
fort, the elevation of the guns of the land-batteries 
insuring the safety of the boats, and he continued his 
attack and was able to deal destruction to the earth- 
works. 



Henry Walke. 43 7 

Upon the approach of transports from below with 
recruits for the Confederate army, Commander Walke, 
by elevating" the guns, was able to prevent the Confed- 
erates landing far enough up the river to intercept 
General Grant's retreat, and Grant was thus enabled to 
withdraw his army in good order. 

Meanwhile the batteries on the bluff were playing 
havoc with the frail gun boats. One cannon-ball com- 
ing down obliquely through the side deck and scant- 
ling of the Taylor, took off the head of Michael 
Adams, a gunner, and wounded several others. 

Knowinof that the destruction of the orun-boats at 
this time meant the loss of the army of General Grant 
and of the important military depot at Cairo, Com- 
mander Walke, after a few more broadsides, withdrew 
out of range of the guns of the battery and protected 
the soldiers as they came down to the river-bank to 
re-embark aboard the transports, and by his continu- 
ous broadsides, over the heads of the troops, kept 
back the pursuing Confederates and dislodged the 
artillery that had opened fire on the rapidly loading 
transports. After convoying the transports four or 
five miles up the river, the Taylor and Lexington 
returned to protect and bring up the regiment of 
Colonel Buford, left behind in the confusion. They 
also picked up many stragglers on the river-banks for 
miles below. 

While no official report appears to have been made 
to the Navy Department of the part the gun-boats took 



438 American Naval Heroes. 

in this battle, Flag-officer Foote being in St. Louis at 
the time, General Grant, in his second official report 
said : 

"The gunboats convoyed the expedition, and rendered most 
effective service immediately upon our landing. They engaged the 
enemy's batteries on the heights above Columbus, and protected our 
transports throughout. For a detailed account of the part taken by 
them I refer with pleasure to the accompanying report of Captain 
Walke, senior officer." 

The Taylor and Lexington remained on picket 
duty below Cairo and made numerous reconnoissances 
within the enemy's lines, and also above Cairo on the 
Mississippi and Ohio rivers. Early in 1862, when the 
plated gun-boats built by Engineer Eads under direc- 
tion of Commodore John Rodgers were completed, 
Commander Walke was detailed to the Carondelet. 

She was one hundred and fifty feet long and drew 
seven feet of water. The sides and casement were 
built to the water-line at an angle of about 45° with 
the level of the gun-deck, which was about a foot 
above water and covered with the casement to the 
curve of the bow and stern enclosing the wheel with 
all her machinery. She had three ports in the bow, 
four in each broadside, and two in the stern. Her 
armament consisted of three guns in the bow, two 42- 
pounder rifles which threw shells of over 84 pounds 
weight, and one smooth-bore 64-pounder. Her broad- 
side batteries were two 42-pounder rifles, two 64- 
pounders, smooth bore, and four light 32-poimders, 
while her stern battery was two light 3 2 -pounders. 



Henry Walke. 439 

The pilot-house was on the upper deck, and was 
casemated and partially plated. 

We have been thus particular in describing the 
armor and armament of the Carondelet, as she serves 
as an example of her class of gun-boats, and as her 
construction was an innovation in naval architecture. 

Before the attack on Fort Henry, General Grant 
again called upon the gun-boats and gave them a 
prominent place in his plan of attack. The gun-boats, 
in fact, accomplished the reduction of the fort and 
received the surrender of the garrison before the 
arrival of the troops. Upon approaching to take 
possession of the fort, the Carondelct ran aground, 
and the incident resulted in a strange illusion on the 
part of the flag officer, who, not being aware that the 
Cincinnati (flag-ship) was being carried down stream 
by the current, in spite of the powerful working of her 
engine, supposed that Commander Walke was preced- 
ing him w^ith the Carondelei, and repeatedly ordered 
him to stop, using strong language to enforce his 
command, and it was some time before he found that 
his subordinate officer was fast aground, while he was 
the unconscious victim of an illusion caused by the 
swift current. 

The ironclad gunboats under Flag Officer Foote 
engaged in the battle were the Essex, Commander 
William D. Porter ; the Carondelet, Commander Henry 
Walke ; the Cincinnati (flag-ship). Commander R. N. 
Stembel ; and the St. Loitis, Lieutenant-Commander 



440 American N^aval Heroes. 

Leonard Paulding ; with the wooden gun-boats Tay- 
lor, Lexington, and Conestoga in reserve. In the en- 
gagement the Carondelet was struck by shot and 
shell in thirty places. She fired from her batteries 
one hundred and one 64-pounder and 84-pounder rifle 
shells and one solid shot, and during the entire 
engagement did not lose a man killed or wounded. 

After raising the white flag, General Tilgham, with 
two of his staff, came on board the Cincinjiafi and 
formally surrendered the fort to Flag-officer Foote, 
who sent for Commander Walke and directed him to 
take possession of the fort until relieved by General 
Grant. In the ceremony of surrender, General 
Tilgham remarked to the flag officer : 

" I am glad to surrender to so gallant an officer." 

"You do perfectly right, sir, in surrendering," 
Flag-officer Foote replied, "but you would have 
blown my gun-boats out of water before I would have 
surrendered to you." 

Commander Walke thus describes the scene that 
met his eye as with the captured Confederate general 
he walked into the fort : 

" The first glance silenced all jubilant expressions of the victors. 
On every side lay the lifeless bodies of the victims in reckless con- 
fusion, intermingled with shattered implements of war. Our eyes 
then met each other's gaze in sadness, full of meaning, that forbade 
any attempt to speak, and in a stillness like to that of a graveyard, 
we walked slowly over the desolate scene. The largest gun of the 
fort was disabled, being filled with earth by one of our shells striking 
the parapet near its muzzle ; the muzzle of another was broken by 
our shell ; a third, with broken carriage and two dead men, was 



HeiLvy ]]\ilkc. 44 1 

buried under the heaps of earth ; a fourth had burst, scattering the 
mangled gunners into the water and in all directions, scarcely one 
of them escaping. The surgeon of the fort was laboring, with the 
few he could get to help him, to save the bleeding and dying. Some 
of our shot had pierced entirely through the breastworks, throwing 
tons of earth over the prostrated gunners, and then plunging ten 
feet into the earth beyond or through the cabins in the rear, after- 
ward setting fire to them by their explosions. After the wounded 
were cared for and the excitement had subsided, our men proceeded 
instinctively and quietly to draw the dead bodies of the victims from 
the water and the earth, and we buried them as well as we could." 

On the Essex the casualties were frightful, owing 
to a shot from the batteries piercing the boiler and 
the escaping steam scalding all on the forward deck, 
includinof the brave commander. The shot that did 
the mischief also killed young Brittan, aid to Captain 
Porter, who stood at the side of his chief. Brittan 
was carried below, and on learning of the surrender of 
the fort, raised himself on his elbow, called for three 
cheers, and gave two himself, when he fell back 
exhausted in his effort to make the third. 

A seaman, Jaspar P. Breas, who was badly scalded, 
sprang to his feet, naked to the waist, his jacket and 
shirt having" been removed to dress his wounds, and 
climbing the stairs to the spar deck, he saw the Stars 
and Stripes waving over the fort, when he shouted, 
" Glory to God ! " and sank exhausted on the deck. 
He died the same night — a hero giving up his life 
for his country's safety. 

At the battle of Fort Donelson the Carojidelet was 
the first of the gun-boats to engage the enemy — the 
order coming- from General Grant and not from 



442 American Naval Heroes. 

Flag-officer Foote — and Commander Walke in this 
way preceded the fleet of Flag-officer Foote probably 
two days. He fired 139 shells into the fort, and 
was in return struck only by one 128-pounder solid 
shot which glanced over the boiler, cutting a steam 
pipe and landing in the engine-room, with no damage 
save the splinters it made. The Caro?ide/et disabled 
three of the guns within the fort, while the combined 
attack of the four gun-boats the second day did but 
little real damage to the fort. 

The pilot of the Carondclet \^2js> killed at the wheel, 
the pilot-house was wrecked, her port rifle gun burst, 
and she received two shots in her bow between wind 
and water, and soon all the gunboats were obliged 
to drop out of range of the enemy's heavy guns. 

The Carondclet next did gallant service at the 
bombarding of Island No. 10, where she was again the 
pioneer in showing the possibilities of the ironclads to 
protect the land forces as well as to run the gauntlet 
of the forts built upon the bluffs of the river banks. 

Her exploit on the dark and stormy night of April 
4, 1862, when Commander Walke volunteered to run 
the steamer past the Confederate forts and give relief 
to the army under General Pope at New Madrid, was 
one of the most thrilling episodes of the war, as well 
as one of the most important strategic movements 
of the Federal Army. The success of the experiment 
surprised the flag officer, and demonstrated the prac- 
ticability of gaining possession of the Western waters 



Henry Walke. 44^ 

by boldly running the gauntlet of the forts which had 
been supposed to guard effectually the passage of the 
river. The service rendered by Commander Walke at 
Island No. 10 was in itself enough to make him an 
admiral, had not the jealousies of ranking officers 
blinded the department at Washington as to the merits 
of his voluntary undertaking. It was after this exploit 
that Farragut carried his fleet past the forts below 
New Orleans and gave to the nation the possession 
of the lower Mississippi for the remainder of the 
period of the war. 

At the battle of Fort Pillow, May 1 1, 1862, the Car- 
ondelet led the Federal fleet, and at Memphis, June 6, 
1862, Commander Walke still in command of the Cm^- 
oiidelct was in the first line of attack. He then took 
part in the running fight with the Confederate ram Ar- 
kansas as described in the sketch of Flag-ofificer Davis. 

He was promoted to the rank of captain on 
July 16, 1862, and with the Lafayette engaged in the 
passage of the batteries at Vicksburg. He led the 
second division of Porter's fleet at the battle of Grand 
Gulf, April 29, 1863, and in the attack on the Point of 
Rocks was for ten hours under fire. He continued 
with the Mississippi squadron till September 24, 1863, 
when he went in search of the Alabama with the 
Sacramento. After several week's chase he arrived at 
Lisbon to find that she had been sunk by the Kear- 
sarge. He then blockaded the Rappahajmock for 
fiifteen months at Calais, France, and when she hoisted 



444 American Naval Heroes. 

the British flag and ran out of the harbor he followed 
her and blockaded her in the harbor of Liverpool until 
the close of the war. 

When the naval retiring board of 1855 undertook 
to dispose of over one hundred naval ofificers includ- 
ing many of the heroes of the war of 18 12, and their 
sons, by retiring them without pay or on half, or two- 
thirds pay. Lieutenant Walke protested against the 
injunction of the proceeding and w^as instrumental in 
its defeat. He was before the same board in a court 
of inquiry and after refuting the complaint against him 
was restored to his proper rank on the active list and 
was promoted to the rank of commander to date from 
the time of inquiry (1855). 

By the ambiguity of an act of Congress full pay to 
the restored officer was withheld until the injustice 
was acknowledged several years after the close of the 
Civil War, when Congress, through the efforts of 
Admiral Walke, restored the back pay to all the officers 
so affected. 

He was made commodore, February 25, 1866; 
rear-admiral, July 13, 1871 ; and was placed on the 
retired list at his own request, April 26, 1871. He 
published " Naval Scenes and Reminiscences of the 
Civil War" (1877), illustrated with drawings made by 
himself. Admiral Walke died in Brooklyn, N. Y., 
March 8, 1896. 



XXXVIII. 

DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

Farragut, Farragut, Oh ! while Atlantic's breast 

Old Heart of Oak, Bears a white sail, 

Daring Dave Farragut, While the Gulf's towering crest 

Thunderbolt stroke, Tops a green vale; 

Watches the hoary mist Men thy bold deeds shall tell. 

Lift from the bay, Old Heart of Oak, 

'Till his flag, glory-kissed, Daring Dave Farragut, 

Greets the young day. Thunderbolt stroke ! 

— ir. T.Meredith. 

The hero of Mobile Bay was born in East Ten- 
nessee at Campbell's station, near Knoxville, July 5, 
1 80 1. His father, Major George Farragut, was born 
in Minorca, the lesser of the Balearic Islands, Septem- 
ber 29, 1755, immigrated to America in 1776, was a 
soldier in the American Revolution, muster-master for 
the militia defending the frontiers from Indians in 
i792-'93, major of cavalry, and subsequently a navi- 
gator on Lake Pontchartrain. Being of an adventurous 
nature, he made a voyage in a small boat to Havana, 
Cuba. 

Sailing-master David Porter, United States Navy, 
father of David Porter of the Essex, was in command 
of the station at New Orleans. He was attacked by 
sunstroke while fishing in Lake Pontchartrain and was 
rescued by Major Farragut. 

In 1808 Porter was a guest at Farragut's house, 
and while there was attacked by yellow fever and died. 




..5^/i 




David Glasgow Farragict. 447 

Mrs. Farragut contracted the disease and died the 
same day. 

Captain David Porter succeeded his father in com- 
mand of the naval station at New Orleans in 1808, 
and persuaded young Farragut to be educated for the 
naval service. With that end in view Porter adopted 
the boy and took him with him on the bomb-ketch 
Vesuvius to Washington, D. C, where he attended 
a school and received from Secretary of War Paul 
Hamilton the promise of a midshipman's warrant 
when he had reached the age of ten years. 

He received the warrant December 17, 1810, seven 
months before attaining the required age. He cruised 
with Captain Porter on the Essex inom. July, 181 1, and 
in the winter of 1811-1812 he attended the naval 
school at Newport, R. I. 

In June, 18 12, he was again ordered to the Essex 
and the declaration of war with Great Britain gave to 
the youthful midshipman his first experience in cap- 
turing prizes. 

During this voyage he discovered and was the 
means of preventing a mutiny among the prisoners 
confined in the Essex. In October of the same year 
he was with Porter in his memorable cruise in the 
Pacific, and as prize master of the re-captured Ameri- 
can whaler Barclay, although but twelve years old, he 
brought her with her crew into the port at Valparaiso. 

On March 28, 18 14, the Essex, after a desperate 
fight capitulated to the Phoebe and CJmntb in the 



448 Americaji Naval Heroes. 

harbor of Valparaiso. This engagement introduced 
Midshipman Farragut to the horrors of an actual sea- 
fight, as it was " one of the bloodiest battles ever 
fought upon the sea." 

During its progress he served as captain's aid, as 
quarter-gunner, as powder-boy, or in any service the 
exigencies of the unequal fight called for. He was 
made a prisoner with Captain Porter, and on being 




Essex, Phoebe and Alert. 



From an old wood-act. 

exchanged accompanied his foster-father to New York. 
He then attended school at Chester, Pa., where he 
added to the usual school course, military drill. He 
was next aid to Captain W. M. Crane in 18 15 in the 
Mediterranean squadron, and in 1816 was on board the 
Macedo7iian. At this time he received nine months' 
instruction in European literature and in mathematics 
under the Rev. Charles Folsom, United States Consul 
at Tunis. He was again in the Mediterranean in 18 19 



David Glasgow Farragut. 449 

a^ acting lieutenant on board the Shark, and in 1820, 
having taken passage for New York on board a mer- 
chantman, he put the vessel in fighting trim when 
chased by a supposed pirate. 

On returning to Washington he passed his exam- 
ination in 1820, and in 1823 was married to Susan C, 
daughter of Jordan Marchant of Norfolk, Va. The 
same year he was" ordered to the Greyhound of Com- 
modore David Porter's fleet which was to proceed 
against pirates in the Caribbean Sea. 

' He was commissioned lieutenant in 1825, and he 
was ordered to the Brandyzvme, Captain Charles 
Morris, and was second officer of the ship when she 
carried Lafayette to France. The Braitdywine after- 
ward cruised in the Mediterranean and on his return 
to America he attended lectures at Yale College during 
1826, and conducted a school on the Alert in Norfolk 
Navy Yard in i826-'2 7. 

He was on board the Vandalia, of the Brazilian 
squadron, 1828-29, obtained leave of absence in 1830, 
and returned to the United States on a merchantman 
which was pursued by pirates and put in fighting trim 
by the lieutenant, but escaped without a battle. He 
was on the N^atchez, in Charleston harbor in 18 13, 
during the nullification troubles, and then returned to 
the Brazilian station. He was given command of the 
schooner Boxer, and in the summer of 1834 was 
ordered home. He was at the Norfolk Navy Yard and 
at Washington, 1834-45. 



450 American Naval Heroes. 

When the war with Mexico broke out he was exec- 
utive officer bn the receiving ship Pennsylvania at 
Norfolk Navy Yard, and he requested Secretary Ban- 
croft to assign him to active service, but had no atten- 
tion paid to his request until February, 1847, when he 
was given command of the Saratoga, and reached 
Vera Cruz after its fall, through the investment of the 
land force under General Scott. It was a great dis- 
appointment to Farragut that the flag of the castle of 
San Juan had not fallen before the guns of the navy. 
He contracted the yellow fever while off this coast and 
afterward had a misunderstanding with Commodore 
Perry, by whom he claimed to have been unfairly 
treated in the assignment of duty, and on his com- 
plaining to the department at Washington, he was 
ordered to return to Norfolk with the Saratoga, and 
resumed the position of executive officer. 

He was at Mare Island station, San Francisco, 
during the construction of the United States Navy 
yard i853-'55, receiving his commission as captain the 
latter year. In 1858 he was made commander of the 
steam sloop Brooklyn. 

When the Civil War broke out he was at Norfolk 
on waiting orders, and he sent his family North and 
reported at Washington for duty. He was sent to 
Brooklyn, N. Y., as a member of the retiring board 
and it was not till 1862 that he was assigned to active 
duty. He was then made commander of the expedi- 
tion that had for its object the capture of New 



David Glasgow Farragut. 



451 



Orleans and the opening of the Mississippi River. 
He sailed from Hampton Roads, Feb. 2, 1862, in the 
Hartford as flag-ship, and collected such vessels as 
he could from the blockading fleets along the Atlantic 




Fighting-top of the Hartford. 

coast. A land force of 15,000 men under Gen. B. F. 
Butler sailed on February 22nd, and the transports 
and naval force with Porter's mortar fleet made rendez- 
vous at Ship Island. Farragut's command embraced 
six sloops-of-war, sixteen gun-boats, twenty-one mor- 
tar-schooners, and five other vessels, carrying in all 



452 American Naval Heroes. 

200 guns. In the fleet was not a single ironclad or 
armored ship. With this fleet led by the Hartford, he 
gained the mouth of the Mississippi river, and sailed up 
that stream until opposite Forts Jackson and St. Philip 
without opposition. Here he encountered not only 
the forts, but a chain stretched across the river, torpe- 
does planted in the channel and ready to be dis- 
charged from the shore, fire-rafts ready to be lighted 
and allowed to drift among the approaching vessels, 
a floating battery clad in iron, and a line of sharp- 
shooters protected by the river banks. 

In the face of all these obstructions to his passage. 
Commodore Farragut, from his flagship the Hartford, 
directed the passage of the forts and the destruction 
of the opposing Confederate fleet that came down the 
river to offer further opposition. 

His orders were carried out with military precision. 
We quote the discription of an eye-witness : 

"At two o'clock on the morning of April 24, 1862, a red light 
from the Hartfofcfs taffrail warned the fleet to get under way. 
Positions in line of battle had been taken the night before, and 
every ship lay ' hove short ' to her anchors. The fleet was formed 
in two divisions. That to follow up the west bank and attack 
Fort Jackson was the Hartford, Brooklyn, Richmond, and four 
smaller ships. That to follow the east bank and engage Fort St. 
Philip was the Cayuga, Pensacola, Mississippi, Oneida, Iroquois and 
three small gun-boats. The three sloops — Hartford, Richmond 
and Brooklyn — carried each 15 guns in broadside, besides brass 
pieces in the tops. 

" It was a dark night, yet the stars were shining. The great river 
loomed, for the water was high, and piles of driftwood coming down 
had kept all lookouts on the alert. The first division, Farragut 
leading, hugged the west bank as close as the Hartford's pilot would 



David Glasgow Farragut. 453 

permit. The pilot was an old New Orleans man. He had no 
politics. He was working for money. He had a little cage built 
which let down from the port fore-chains, and dropped him jus t to 
the water's edge. His idea was to get under the smoke. Two 
midshipmen were stationed to signal his orders. Farragut and his 
staff went forward to the forecastle. Captain Wainwright took the 
bridge, and Lieutenant Thurston — he of Keanarge fame after- 
ward — took charge of the batteries. The two Hnes steamed slowly 
up. Porter's mortars doubled their fire. The Confederate forts 
were silent. 

" There were no sounds save the swish of the current, the dull 
thump of the engines, and the buzz and restlessness of the crew. 
Farragut stood with his night-glass, peering through the darkness 
ahead. Wainwright was beside him; Watson, his signal ofificer, 
near. 

" ' Is Bailey well up in line ? ' he asked, without removing the 
glass from his eyes. 

" ' Aye, aye, sir,' replied the signal man softly. 

" All at once there was a flash ahead that lit up the heavens, 
and in an instant a shot whistled over the Hartfonfs bow. Farra- 
gut removed the glass and said quietly : 

" ' Gentlemen, the time has come. Wainwright, have your men 
stand by their guns. Pilot,' to the man over the side, ' do you see 
that water battery right ahead ? Put this ship as close to it as you 
can get her.' 

" By this time the whole Confederate force was aroused. Fort 
St. Philip opened. Fort Jackson turned loose her casements. The 
water battery had its whole 20 guns at play. Away ahead in the 
gloom could be seen the preparations of the Confederate fleet — 
the fire-rafts being ignited, the black smoke scurrying back and 
forth, and withal the deadly missiles hissing by. 

" « Port ! ' yelled the pilot. 

" ' Here we are, sir.' 

" Farragut leaned over the side : 'Can't you get us any closer? ' 
The Hartford seemed then within a hundred feet of the battery. 

" ' Not without danger of grounding.' 

" 'AH right — port it is. Hard-a-port ! Now boys !' and the 
commodore waved his glass. The crew waited for the ship to sheer, 
and then came the crash. It was the first broadside that had been 
fired in that squadron. It was deafening ; it was almost paralyzing ; 



454 American N^aval Heroes. 

but, like the taste of blood, the stripped sailors wanted more of it. 
From that hour smoke enveloped the ship. Obeying his orders, the 
pilot kept his ship close to the west shore. By this time the guns of 
Jackson were all in full play. The smoke was so dense that from 
the deck nothing could be seen but a sheet of flame issuing from the 
canopy. The fierce hail of iron from the fort was like the hiss of 
countless steam valves. Happily the artillerymen had poor range, 
and so most of their fire was ineffective. The fleet made little or 
no reply, but steamed ahead. Pretty soon the Hai'tford, Richmond 
and Brooklyn were all in position to bring their guns to bear at close 
range. The orders were to get as close as the pilots would allow, 
and sweep the parapets with grape and canister. It was hardly five 
minutes after the ship's batteries had got into this work before the 
enemy's fire slackened. They could not stand it. The ships passed 
upward. By this time all ahead was black and fire-flamed. The 
Confederates had sent afloat a dozen fire-rafts, and they were coming 
down with the current. 

" Here was a new danger. The forts were still firing, but in the 
dense smoke nobody could tell where he was. A great fire-raft, the 
flames rising fifty feet, came swooping down on the Hartford. To 
dodge it the pilot made an error, and the ship went ashore in the 
mud. The raft swung alongside, and in an instant the flames had 
caught the Hartfonfs rigging. Lieutenant Thornton's fire depart- 
ment was perfect, and it responded even in the face of su^h awful 
dangers. The Hartfora^s engines were backed, and then it was 
discovered that the ram Manassas was pushing the fire-raft and 
holding it against the ship's side. 

" 'Cast loose that starboard battery ! ' yelled Farragut. * Quick, 
gentlemen ! See that ram? For God's sake, give it to him.' 

" The ram got it. The Manassas fell off from the raft, the raft 
slid by the Hartford and the latter was free. Captain Warley, the 
commander of the Manassas, seeing he was hurt, tried to make 
for the shore. The Mississippi caught him and pushed him into 
the mud. There was no time to stop, or Warley would have been 
a prisoner, but he was helpless, and it was the duty of the wooden 
ships to get out of fire. 

*' Once above the range of fire from the forts the enemy's fleet 
had to be encountered. It was getting almost daylight. The 
smoke was drifting away, and, looking ahead, the flag officer could 
see the Confederate gun- boats and cotton-boats, and rams. The 



David Glasg07u Farragut. 455 

Federal gun-boat Van/na, Captain Boggs, had already dashed in 
among them, and, as the result proved, got the worst of it, for after 
half an hour's tussle she went down, stern first, and lost thirty of 
her crew. The Oneida was also being sore beset ; when the heavy 
ships came up, Farragut, through his glass, could see at a glance 
where the trouble lay. The little vessels did not carry guns enough. 
He signalled the big ships to form in ' line ahead,' that is, single 
file, and take the middle of the channel. The Confederate fleet 
was formed in two lines. 

" * Man both sides ! ' he called to his captain, as the Hartford's 
bow loomed up through the smoke, and the Richmond, the Brooklyn 
and the Mississippi followed. ' Man both sides ! ' was the signal 
to the other ships. 

It was dreadful. As the Hne steamed up, and the heavy batteries 
poured from both sides into the frail and panic-stricken craft, it 
seemed Hke horror-stricken destruction. The big river steamers 
were all top-hamper. They had cotton bales to protect them, but 
the shells from the nine-inch Dahlgrens sent these flying into mid- 
air. Two of the craft were together. They seemed filled with 
people. The Richmond sheered within twenty feet of them and let 
go a broadside. The roof and cabin and ' texas ' and smokestacks, 
all went by the board. On either bank, as the fleet passed up, 
were the wrecks of the wretched fleet. The officers and crews had 
fled. Grape and canister from the big ships had knocked them 
into match kindling, and all were either sinking or burning. There 
was not one vessel left." 

On the morning of April 25, 1862, New Orleans 
was captured. The loss in running the forts and in 
destroying the Confederate fleet had been thirty-seven 
men killed, one hundred and forty-seven wounded and 
one gun-boat, the Variina, lost. 

On January 28th, Commodore Farragut ran the 
batteries of V^icksburg, and with eight of his wooden 
vessels joined Commodore Davis's fleet of iron- 
clads above the city. He again ran the batteries 
on his return, July 15, and on July 16, 1862, was 



456 Americmi Naval Heroes. 

commissioned rear-admiral. He ran the Confederate 
batteries at Port Hudson and opened communication 
with Flag-officer Daniel D. Porter, the son of his 
benefactor, who was in command of the Upper Missis- 
sippi. He assisted in the reduction of Port Hudson 
which fell July 9, 1863, and then turned over the com- 
mand of the Western Squadron to Admiral Porter, and 
was on leave of absence till January, 1864, when he 
made a reconnoissance of the defenses of Mobile Bay, 
and reported to the government that with an iron-clad 
gun-boat and 5,000 men he could take the city. On 
August 5, 1864, with a fleet of four iron-clads and 
fourteen wooden vessels led by the HajHford as flag- 
ship, he passed the forts at the entrance of the bay 
with the loss of the iron-clad Tecumseh, sunk by a 
torpedo. In this engagement the admiral took 
his place in the rigging of the Hartford and from 
this elevated position gave his orders. This in- 
cident was made the subject of story and of the 
painter's art. The forts were captured and blockade 
running stopped, but on account of shallow water 
the fleet did not proceed to the city. After the battle 
of Mobile Bay, Rear-Admiral Farragut issued the fol- 
lowing order : 

Flagship Hartford, 
Mobile Bay, Aug. 7, 1864. 
The Admiral desires the fleet to return thanks to Almighty God 
for the signal victory over the enemy on the morning of the 5 th inst. 

D. G. Farragut, Rear-Admiral. 
Commanding W. G. B. Squadron. 



David Glasgow Farragut. 457 

In November, 1864, he received from the citizens 
of New York, a gift of fifty thousand dollars with 
which to purchase a home in that city. On December 
22, 1864, Congress created the grade of vice-admiral 
of the navy and President Lincoln nominated Rear- 
Admiral Farragut to the position. On July 25, 1865, 
Congress created the still higher grade of admiral, and 
he was given the commission. 

He commanded the European squadron in 1867- 
'69, visited California in 1869, and took charge of 
the naval obsequies of George Peabody, at Portland, 
Maine, in January, 1870. He died in Portsmouth, 
N. H., August 14, 1870. 




it^^^Aci-r^'^ 



XXXIX. 

SILAS HORTON STRINGHAM. 

He accomplished the task set before him; carried out to the letter the 
orders of his superiors; won a great victory, the first in the Civil war; and 
brought his fleet safely back to Hampton Roads. Because he did not run into 
danger and disobey orders, that he might capture some cotton and naval stores 
ready for shipment to England, he was condemned by the press and politicians 
and was relieved of the command of the fleet at his own request. 

Silas Horton Stringham, was born in Orange 
County, N. Y., in 1798, and entered the navy as mid- 
shipman when twelve years old. He served through 
the War of 18 12 under Commander Rodgers on the 
Presidcjit, and his heroism and daring, coupled with 
the strict regard for discipline exhibited in the dis- 
charge of his duty as subordinate, won for him the 
esteem of his superior officers and the admiration of 
his companions. At the close of the war he was re- 
commended for promotion, and was made lieutenant, 
December 9, 18 14. 

The next year he saw active service on board the 
brig Spark, Captain Gamble, one of the fleet of 
Decatur's squadron in the war with Algiers. Here he 
took part in the capture of an Algerian frigate. 

In 1816, while the Spark \v3.s,Vj\n^ off Gibraltar, 
the crew were witnesses of an accident which befell 
a French brig in the harbor. She was struck by a 



460 A7nerican Naval Heroes. 

squall and capsized, and the entire crew was thrown 
into the water. The American sailors came to their 
rescue, and Lieutenant Stringham was conspicuous in 
that he himself saved the lives of three sailors. 

In 18 19 he was transferred to the Cyane, engaged 
in the suppression of the African slave trade. The 
cruise resulted in the capture of four ships, which as 
prize master, and carried into port. 

In 1 82 1 he was promoted to the rank of first lieu- 
tenant and given command of the Hornet, with which 
he captured a noted slaver and pirate. He was sub- 
sequently in command of the Brooklyn Navy Yard and 
on various duties at home and abroad. He was com- 
missioned captain in 1841, and commanded the ship- 
of-the-line Ohio, in the Pacific squadron. 

He was present at the bombardment of Vera Cruz 
during the Mexican War, after which he commanded 
the Brazilian squadron. - In 1852 he commanded the 
Mediterranean squadron, with the Cumberland 2,'s> his 
flagship. 

On the outbreak of the Civil War Captain String- 
ham was made Flag-ofificer of the North Atlantic block- 
ading squadron,, and in August, 1861, commanded the 
naval forces which co-operated with the army under 
General Butler in the capture of Forts Hatteras and 
Clarke on the North Carolina coast. In those attacks 
he was opposed by Commodore Samuel Barron of the 
Confederate navy who now commanded the forts. He 
had entered the United States Navy about the same 



Silas Horton Stringham. . 461 

year as Stringham and had for a time commanded 
the Wabash, which in this expedition was one of the 
fleet operating against the forts. 

The result of the bombardment by Stringham's 
fleet was the surrender of the fort and of the garrison, 
including Barron and all his officers, with seven hun- 
dred and fifteen men, one thousand stand of arms, 
seventy-five kegs of gun-powder, thirty-one cannon, as 
well as several stands of colors and various stores 
of provisions and cotton. Barron was carried to New 
York and held until exchanged when he went to Eng- 
land and engaged in fitting up blockade-runners and 
privateers for the Confederate service. 

This achievement of the navy coming so soon after 
the defeat of the army at Bull Run in July, greatly 
cheered the Union forces, and Captain Stringham was 
for the time the lion of the day. His action, however, 
in returning with his fleet to Fort Monroe was criti- 
cised. He was found to have obeyed strictly the 
orders given him on setting out on the expedition, 
and a later attempt to navigate the shallow waters of 
the sounds with ships of deep draught proved dis- 
astrous. His pride was deeply hurt by having his 
courage and loyalty questioned, and at his own request 
he was relieved of the command of the squadron. 

In July, 1862, he was commissioned rear-admiral, 
and detailed to special duty. He died in Brooklyn 
N. Y., February 7, 1876. 




William Barker Cushing. 



XL 



WILLIAM BARKER GUSHING. 

Mary Barker Gushing, a widow, offered her four sons a sacrifice upon the altar 
of patriotism. She not only sent her boys to fight for the American flag, but 
she had endowed them with a spirit of self immolation which made each one a 
hero. Captain Alonzo H. Gushing, United States Volunteers, was instantly killed 
at Gettysburg, fighting desperately for an hour and a half after being pronounced 
unfit for duty, from wounds received early in the day. Lieutenant Howard 
B. Gushing, United States Army, was killed while leading a handful of brave 
Regulars against ten times their number of Apache Indians in a defile in the 
mountains of Arizona. Paymaster Milton B. Gushing, United States Navy, 
served with distinction through the Givil War, was on board the Seneca at the 
battles of Fort Fisher, and was the victim of disease produced from exposure 
while in the line of duty. The story of Lieutenant William B. Gushing, United 
States Navy, is told in the following chapter. 

The mother sent her boys forth with this injunction; " My sons, death but 
not dishonor." 

In the summer of 1863, the United States naval 
squadron in possession of the sounds of North Caro- 
lina, had learned that a formidable iron-clad ram de- 
signed to clear the waters of that state from all hostile 
crafts, had been launched in the Roanoke River, and 
was now under steam ready to deal destruction to the 
Federal fleet. 

The rumors of this marine monster and her for- 
midable character, had put the Federal navy on the 
defensive, but their worst fears were as fairy tales to 
their consternation when the dread monster appeared 
in the midst of the fleet, and steaming at will, with- 
stood a combined attack of the entire force of Federal 
gun-boats for several hours, and then, unconcerned as 

463 



464 American Naval Heroes. 

to the presence of the fleet, turned and steamed up 
the river, an apparently invulnerable navy destroyer. 

Young Gushing had witnessed this exploit and he 
at once sought the commodore of the fleet with the pro- 
posal that he would destroy the ram if furnished with 
a steam launch, a volunteer crew, ready to risk their 
lives and do his bidding, and an armed cutter in which 
to escape if any should survive the desperate under- 
taking. A hundred at once volunteered. From these 
Gushing selected Acting Ensign William L. Howarth, 
Acting Master's Mates Thomas S. Gay and John 
Woodman, Acting Assistant Paymaster Francis H. 
Swan, Acting Third Assistant Engineers Gharles L. 
Steever and William Stotesbury, and eight enlisted 
men — Samuel Higgins, Richard Hamilton, William 
Smith, Bernard Harley, Edward J. Houghton, Lorenzo 
Demming, Henry Wilkes and Robert H. King. 

The plan of attack was for a crew on the cutter to 
capture the Gonfederate guard in a picket schooner 
near the half- submerged warship Southfield, and pre 
vent it from sending up an alarm rocket. Then the 
steam launch, with Gushing in the bow, was to land a 
short distance below the Albemarle and board her 
from the wharf at Plymouth, capture her by surprise, 
and take her down stream. If unable to do this, Gush- 
ing was to blow up the ram with a spar torpedo which 
he had with him. The two boats passed the Gonfed- 
erate sentinal sloop a mile below Plymouth without 
being challenged. 



William Barker Gushing. 465 

By keeping in the shade of the trees along the 
banks of the river and by reducing the speed of the 
launch so as not to make much noise, he nearly 
reached the ram unobserved. Had it not been for a 
dog, Gushing might have carried out his plan of steal- 
ing the ram and taking her down the river. But the 
dog barked a staccato solo, and then every dog in the 
neighborhood joined in a grand chorus of yelps, which 
awakened every sleeping Confederate soldier and sailor. 

Sentinels appeared on both sides of the river and 
every man ordered Gushing to stop. In the hubbub 
of excitement on shore and on the Albemarle Gush- 
ing, knowing that it was useless to try to maintain 
further secrecy, shouted to the engineer : 

" Ahead, fast ! " He also cut the towline and sent 
the cutter down the river to capture the picket guard 
near the Southfield. 

As he approached the ram he saw that it was sur- 
rounded by logs so far away from the ship that it 
would be necessary to get within the enclosure in 
order to make his torpedo effective. He steered out 
into the riverto get the desired position, and then ran 
at full speed at the ram, believing, that his launch 
would ride over the slippery logs. 

This actually happened and with a view to fright- 
ening off the Confederates Gushing yelled out between 
shots from the Albemarle : 

" Leave the ram ! We are going to blow you up." 
As soon as the launch got over the logs Gushing was 



466 American Naval Heroes. 

standing in the bow with his torpedo, ready to swing 
it aeainst the side of the Albemarle. As he ran out 
the spar a shot from his victims struck and disabled the 
launch and at the same instan<- the torpedo exploded. 
It rent an immense hole in the monster's side below the 
water line, and the next instant the huge hulk dropped 
to the bottom of the river and was buried in the mud. 

The Confederates twice called upon the party in 
the boat to surrender, and several of the men did so, 
but Gushing, throwing his weapons, shoes and coat 
away, plunged into the river. Woodman and Higgins 
did likewise and were drowned, but Gushing reached 
the shore in safety and after wandering in the swamps 
for twenty hours he hailed a Federal picket-boat and 
was carried more nearly dead than alive to a gun-boat 
at the mouth of the river. 

Only one of his brave crew reached a place of 
safety, but unlike the exploits of Somers and Hobson, 
his undertaking was crowned with success, and a great 
service was done to the Federal cause. 

When Gushing left on the launch, he had laugh- 
ingly remarked to his companions, " Here's for an- 
other stripe or a coffin." He received the stripe 
when he was made lieutenant commander, October 27, 
1864, and also received congratulatory letters from the 
secretary of the navy, and the concurrent thanks of 
both houses of Gongress. 

William Barker Gushing was born in Delafield, 
Wis., November 24, 1842, the son of Dr. Milton B. 



William Barker Ctishing. 467 

Gushing and his wife Mary Barker (Smith) Cushing. 
Dr. Gushing died when WilHam was quite young, and 
left his widow with four sons to support. 

WilHam Barker was a page in the House of Re- 
presentatives at Washington, and was appointed a 
naval cadet at Annapolis by President Buchanan in 
1857. He attended the academy until the breaking 
out of the Givil war, resigning March 23, 1861, to 
volunteer and participate in the coming struggle. 

He was made master's mate in May, 1861, and 
was attached to the North Atlantic blockading 
squadron. On the very day of his arrival in Vir- 
ginia waters he captured a tobacco schooner valued 
at $30,000, the first prize of the war. His commission 
as lieutenant was dated July 16, 1862, and in Novem- 
ber, with the United States gun-boat Ellis, he was 
directed to " capture Jacksonville, N. C., intercept the 
Wilmington mail, and destroy the salt works at New 
Juliet." 

He succeeded in capturing a large mail, taking two 
prizes and shelling a Gonfederate camp. In under- 
taking to cross the bar of the Onslow river, November 
25th, on returning from this expedition, he ran aground 
and was obliged to transfer his crew and property to 
one of the captured schooners. He then ordered the 
vessels to stand off the inlet, and with a single pivot 
gun and six volunteers to aid him, he guarded the 
Ellis until the cross fire from the shore batteries, so 
disabled the vessel that there was no hope of floating 



468 American Naval Heroes. 

her and he then set her on fire, and in an open boat 
escaped with his volunteers to the schooner from the 
deck of which he saw the Ellis blow up. 

He continued his exploits in the sounds of North 
Carolina making venturesome expeditions up the Cape 
Fear and Little rivers, and gaining much valuable in- 
formation as to the designs of the Confederates. 

After his exploit in destroying the Albemarle, he 
buoyed out the channel for the passage of the fleet in 
its attack on Fort Fisher in December, 1864, exposing 
himself for six hours in an open boat until he completed 
the task. 

In the second attack on Fort Fisher, in January, 
1865, he commanded a company of sailors and marines 
from the Mo7iticcllo, landing them on the sea-front of 
the fort, and after leading them across the one hundred 
yards of sand under a short range fire from the fort 
where half his men were killed, he gained the parapet 
and co-operated with the Federal land force in taking 
possession of the stronghold. 

He then served on the Pacific and on the Asiatic 
squadrons, commanded the Lancaster, in 1866 -'67, 
and the Maitmcc, 1867 -'69. 

He was promoted commander, January 21, 1872, 
the youngest ofificer of that rank in the navy. He was 
granted leave of absence on account of ill health, and 
died in Washington, D. C, December 17, 1874. 



XLI. 



STEPHEN CLEGG ROWAN. 

With the Pawnee he fought the first battle between a war-ship and a fort 
in the Civil War. 

The successes achieved by the navy under String- 
ham and Goldsborough were followed up by that of 
Commander Stephen C. Rowan. This gallant officer 
was born near the city of Dublin, Ireland, December 
25, 1808. His parents removed to America the next 
year and settled in Ohio, where the boy attended the 
district school and assisted the family in making a 
home in the wilderness. 

He was appointed midshipman in the United States 
Navy when eighteen years old, and made "his first 
cruise on the Viiicemies, under Commodore Balton, 
who between 1827 and 1830 was the first naval officer 
to sail a United States man-of-war around the world. 

Upon his return to America Rowan was promoted 
passed midshipman, and for four years was stationed in 
the West Indies. He took part in the naval opera- 
tions against the Indians in Florida during the Semi- 
nole War. As lieutenant he served in the coast 
survey, and from 1843 to 1846 on the frigate Delaware, 
and afterward on the Ontario. 

469 




Stephen Clegg Rowan. 



Stephen Clegg Rowan. 471 

He then succeeded as executive officer on the 
Cyane in the Pacific squadron. In the Mexican War 
he participated in the capturing of Monterey and San 
Diego. He was wounded while serving under Stock- 
ton at the battle of Mesa, and won high praise by a 
bold night attack which he led against the out-posts at 
Mazatlan, as also at the bombardment of Guaymas. 
While operating in the Gulf of California he captured 
twenty blockade-runners, besides destroying a number 
of Mexican gun-boats. 

When peace with Mexico was declared he was 
made inspector of ordnance, organizing that depart- 
ment in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. In September, 
1855, he was promoted commander, and served as 
such on the United States supply ship Relief. 

When the Civil War broke out, he was on ordnance 
duty at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and in January, 
1 86 1, was placed in command of the United States 
steam frigate Pawnee, and took her from Philadelphia 
around the capes and up the Potomac to Washington, 
where she was anchored, as the only naval vessel in 
commission for the protection of the national capital. 
It was a part of his duty, soon after the inauguration 
of President Lincoln, to cover with his ship the land- 
ing of Colonel Ellsworth and his regiment of New 
York Fire Zouaves at Alexandria, Va., the day that gal- 
lant officer met his death while in the act of removing 
the Confederate flag from the fiagstaff of the Marshall 
House. 



472 America7t Naval Heroes. 

Commodore Rowan was at this time a resident of 
Norfolk, Va., and had wedded a Virginia lady. He 
did not, however, hesitate to declare his allegiance to 
the government that had taken him as a lad, trained 
him in its service, and advanced him in rank and posi- 
tion in its navy. While so many of his fellow-officers 
claimed for the state of their residence their first alle- 
giance, he recognized the fact that his duty was to 
protect the flag he had sworn to defend and the 
government he had promised to serve. ' 

His first active engagement in the Civil War was 
at Acquia Creek, Va., May 21, 1861, where, with the 
Pawnee, he endeavored to capture the batteries erected 
by the Confederates at that point. His ship was 
struck by the enemy's heavy shot nine times, and he 
was obliged to withdraw out of range of the guns. 
This was the first naval engagement of the Civil War. 

He joined Flag-officer Stringham in his expedition 
to Hatteras, and after the return of the fleet to Norfolk 
commanded there the Brooklyn and Delaware succes- 
sively, until in February, 1862, when he led a naval 
flotilla of light-draught vessels in the expedition of 
Commodore Goldsborough to North Carolina, and 
with it on February 8th, was one of the prominent 
officers in forcing the surrender of Roanoke Island. 

He then pursued the retreating Confederates into 
Albemarle Sound, destroying their earthworks and 
capturing their entire fleet of transports and gun-boats. 
He took his flotilla as far as Elizabeth City and 



Stephen Clegg Rowan. 473 

Edenton, and effectually obstructed the canal leading 
to the Chesapeake. He conducted various other suc- 
cessful expeditions in these waters, and upon the 
return of Commodore Goldsborough to Hampton 
Roads, he succeeded to the command of the entire 
fleet. On February loth, co-operating with General 
A. E. Burnside, he captured Winston, and on the 12th 
Newbern, following on April 25th with the capture of 
Fort Macon and the town of Beaufort. 

For these sig-nal services he received the thanks of 
Congress, and on July 16, 1862, was commissioned 
captain, and for his gallantry was further promoted to 
the rank of commodore, his second promotion to take 
effect the same date. 

He then joined the blockading squadron under 
Commodore Dahlgren in Charleston Harbor, and as 
commander of the iron-clad Nezu Ironsides took a lead- 
ing part in the reduction of Forts Gregg, Wagner and 
Moultrie. The New L^onsides was under fire in four- 
teen engagements in Charleston Harbor, and during 
the period was struck 133 times. He commanded the 
entire South Atlantic squadron in the early part of 
1864, during the absence of Admiral Dahlgren. The 
New Ironsides was disabled by a torpedo, and Rowan 
was transferred to the iron-clad Nadawasco. 

He was made rear-admiral July 25, 1866. From 
1 867 to 1 870, he was Commander-in-chief of the Asiatic 
squadron. He was promoted vice-admiral in 1870, 
commanded the Brooklyn Navy Yard, 1872-79, after 



474 American Naval Heroes. 

which he served as naval examiner, governor of the 
naval asylum at Philadelphia, superintendent of the 
naval observatory, and chairman of the lighthouse 
board. 

His active life at sea covered over twenty-five 
years. His eminent services, while not distinguished 
by incidents of special personal daring, were marked 
by calm and resourceful expedients in time of emer- 
gency, and while he avoided the theatrical, his energy 
and incessant activity were ever conspicuous. He 
served his adopted country long and well, and died at 
his home in Washington, D. C, March 31, 1890. 



XLII. 

JOHN I.ORIMER WORDEN. 

He commanded the " Cheese Box on a Raft." 

Another notable naval officer came conspicuously 
before the public eye early in the Civil War, and pos- 
sibly the service he helped to render effective had 
more to do with turnino- the fortunes of war in favor 
of the Federal Government than any other. At least 
his valor, wisdom, and promptness averted a terrible 
calamity to the country. This conspicuous naval hero 
was John Lorimer Worden. 

He was born at Mount Pleasant, N. Y., March 12, 
1 81 7. His education was acquired at the best schools 
of his native county, and he was appointed midship- 
man in the navy before he was seventeen years old. 
His first sea service was on board the ship-of-war 
Erie, and extended for three years in Brazilian waters. 

In September, 1837, he was transferred to the 
Mediterranean squadron, and after two years' service 
he attended the naval school at Philadelphia for nine 
months, when he was made passed midshipman, his 
commission bearing date July 16, 1840. 

After the usual round of service on ship and 
ashore, upon the outbreak of the Civil War he reported 



r 













.in,) WllML 




John Lorimer JVorden. 477 

at Washington, requesting" to be put into active sea 
service. 

This was April 6, 1861. The next day President 
Lincoln, in consultation with Secretary Seward, sent 
him overland with dispatches to Captain Adams, com- 
manding the fleet off Pensacola. This was a delicate 
and dangerous commission, and after a three days' 
journey he reached Pensacola, but could not com- 
municate with the fleet or with Fort Pickens on 
account of a heavy gale prevailing. He thereupon 
destroyed his dispatches, having first committed 
them to memory, and awaited the subsidence of the 
storm. 

The next day about noon he succeeded in reaching 
the fleet. After communicating his dispatches and re- 
ceiving orders, which he was to carry with all expedi- 
tion to Washington, he took rail to Montgomery, Ala. 
Before reaching the city he was arrested by Confed- 
erate officers and detained as a prisoner-of-war for 
over seven months. 

His health breaking down by reason of his con- 
finement, he was paroled November 14, 1861, and 
ordered to report to the Secretary of War at the Con- 
federate capital. Upon reaching Richmond he was 
sent through the lines, his release being conditional 
upon his promise not to divulge anything he might 
have seen while traveling through the enemy's country 
that could be used to the harm of the cause of the 
Confederacy. At Norfolk he was exchanged for 



478 American Naval Heroes. 

Lieutenant Shafer, a Confederate officer captured by 
the Federal army. 

The condition of his health precluded his reporting 
for duty until February, 1862. The next month he 
was placed in command of a new iron-clad just built 
by Captain John Ericsson under his supervision and 
offered to the government on trial, its purchase de- 
pending upon its effectiveness as an engine of war. 
Here was a war vessel both unique and uncertain. 
The ablest naval constructors had condemned it as im- 
practicable and unsafe ; and only one naval officer, 
Captain D. D. Porter, had any confidence in its effec- 
tiveness. Captain Porter had been sent to New York 
to examine and report as to its ability and seaworthi- 
ness. He telegraphed to the Navy Department in 
these words : "This is the strongfest fio"htinor vessel in 
the world, and can whip anything afloat." 

In his dAvmx^kA^ Naval Histoiy of the Civil War, 
Admiral Porter thus describes the coming of the 
Mo7iitor and the circumstances that led to the occasion 
that made Lieutenant Worden's name a household 
word throughout the length and breath of America, 
and his achievement with the little gun-boat de- 
risively called " a cheese-box on a raft," a chapter in 
the history of our navy worthy the pen of so able a 
writer : 

"A month before the Monitor was launched the Confederates, 
through their spies, had learned the exact condition of the vessel 
and the day on which she would probably be put into the water, in 
consequence of which information the number of workmen on the 



John Lori?ner lVorde7i. 479 

Merrimac, which was building at Norfolk, and against which the 
Monitor was soon to be pitted, was doubled, and the work carried 
on by day and by night. This extra energy made all the difference 
in the world, and doubtless gained the one day which enabled the 
Confederate vessel to commit such havoc without any effectual 
opposition. Lieutenant John L. Worden, who had been assigned 
to the command of the Monitor, watched her building for several 
months, urging on the work by every means in his power, in which 
he was heartily supported by the inventor. When the vessel was 
launched and equipped, Lieutenant Worden started at once for 
Hampton Roads without a trial trip and with no means of judging 
how the vessel was going to behave. At one time in his passage he 
was doubtful if the little Afonitor would live through the rough seas 
and arrive in time to be of any assistance to our fleet ; or, even if 
she did arrive, whether she could accomplish what her inventor 
claimed for her. In fact, Worden was somewhat doubtful whether 
he should ever again set foot on land, for his vessel was almost inun- 
dated, and leaked apparently enough to sink her. In the mean- 
time the Merrimac alias Virginia was all ready to leave the Nor- 
folk Navy Yard on what was said to be her trial trip, and up to the 
last moment she was filled with mechanics working to complete her. 
On March 8, 1862, the iron-clad got under weigh and proceeded 
down the Elizabeth River, cheered by hundreds of people who 
crowded the banks as she passed." 

Lieutenant Worden took the novel craft from its 
anchorage in the Brooklyn Navy Yard and proceeded 
with it to Hampton Roads. He arrived on the even- 
ing of March 8, 1862, and proceeded immediately to 
where the Minnesota lay aground, just below Newport 
News. He found the Merrimac had worked terrible 
havoc that day as she made her way almost unopposed 
among the helpless Federal fleet. The sides of the 
Cumberland had been crushed by the iron prow of the 
powerful ram, and she was sinking. The Congress 
was on fire, and her crew, helpless and unable to leave 



480 American N^aval Heroes. 

the ship, had been obHged to strike their colors to 
save themselves from being roasted alive. The Min- 
7iesota and Lawrence were aground. 

With the Federal fleet in this condition, Worden 
arrived with his little untried " nondescript" armed 
only with two guns in a cramped revolving turret. 
The blaze from the burning Congress lighted the sky 
on that eventful Saturday night. Soon an explosion 
shook the waters and reverberated along the shores. 
The fire had reached the magazine, and the great ship 
was a total wreck. 

Sunday morning dawned bright and fair. The 
Merrimac passed out of her berth to complete the 
destruction wrought the day before. She steamed 
toward the grounded Minnesota, expecting to ram the 
helpless enemy, when suddenly between the two ap- 
peared the little Monitor, and from the "cheese box" 
belched a sudden roar as a 170 pound shot struck the 
iron plating of the Merrimac with an effect that as- 
tonished the complacant officers and crew. 

They found that they must rid themselves of the 
little craft that clung so persistently at their side. 
Turning her huge iron hulk, the Merrimac delivered 
her full weight, prow forward, against the half-sub- 
merged Monitor, expecting to run upon the low deck 
and sink the little craft by her weight. 

At that moment, however, another well-directed 
shot from the little turret sent a heavy sphere crash- 
ing against the railroad iron that formed the shield of 



yoJiii Lori'yncr ]]\ii-dcii. 481 

the monster antagonist. The effect was to shake the 
battery so severely as to cause the sailors to rush to 
the deck, expecting that the ship was sinking. This 
confusion diverted the course of the Merriiuac, and 
the Monitor ran from under the immense prow, but 
kept close to the monster's side, continuing to deliver 
her heavy shot, as the turret was turned so as to bring 
the guns alternately into position. 

The officers of the Merrimac, finding that their 
shot had no effect upon the deck or turret of the little 
craft, directed the gunners to aim for the pilot-house, 
which surmounted the turret. The vessels almost 
touched, and Worden was directing both the firing 
and the movements of the Monitor from his lookout 
in the pilot-house when a shot struck the slot used as 
a lookout, and the concussion forced iron splinters and 
dust through the opening, blinding the brave com- 
mander and rendering him for the time senseless. 

The effect of the heavy shot at so short a range 
was as astonishinor as the readiness with which the 
iron armor of either vessel repelled the tremendous 
momentum of the iron hail. The concussion was a 
new experience in naval warfare, and each discharge 
threatened to shake the vessels into pieces. 

The fight had continued without interruption from 
8.30 a.m. to 12.15 P- "1-. a-nd had been witnessed by 
crowds on shore and on the vessels anchored on the 
roads. With the fall of Worden the Monitor changed 
her position and appeared to those on the Merrimac 



482 American iVaz'al I Zeroes. 

" be leaving the scene. She, however, turned again 
toward her antagonist only to find the MerriiJiac dnh 
ine and calline to her aid two tiitrs, which took her 
back to her berth. The duel between the giant and 
the dwarf was over. 

The Monitor took her position near the Minnesota, 
and awaited the movments of her antagonist. Hut the 
Merriniac, badly crippled and leaking, ran aground 
and never came out to renew the fight, but was sooti 
after destroyed to prevent her falling into the liands 
of the Union navy. 

Lieutenant Worden, when he recovered conscious- 
ness, turned to his attendants and asked : 

" Have I saved the Miniicsota ? " 

" Yes," was the reply. 

" Then I don't care what becomes of me," said the 
hero. 

The Mi^mesota was not all his heroism had saved ; 
he had saved from total annihilation the remnant of 
the United States Navy. 

The news of the exploit spread through the world, 
and opened a new era in naval warfare. 

On July 1 6th, eight days after the battle, Worden 
was promoted commander, and upon his partial recov- 
ery — for he never fully recovered from the effects of 
his terrible experience — he superintended the con- 
struction of the iron-clads building in New York. 

In October he was oriven command of the iron -clad 
Jfontauk in the .South Atlantic Squadron. With this 



yohiL Larimer Wordeii. 483 

formidable little turreted oun-boat he attacked Fort 
McAllister guarding the passage to the Ogeeche River, 
in January, 1863, and kept up a continuous bom- 
bardment for four hours, until he had exhausted all 
his ammunition. The shot from the fort were entirely 
harmless against the armor of the Montaiik. 

On February 28th following he destroyed the Con- 
federate privateer Nashville under the very walls of 
the fort and in the face of a fire froni the guns that 
sent shot against the little iron-clad, striking her forty- 
six times. 

On February 3, 1863, Commander Worden was 
made captain, and aided with his iron-clad in the 
blockade of Charleston Harbor and in the operations 
against Fort Sumter. On March 29, 1872, he was 
commissioned rear-admiral, and commanded the Euro- 
pean squadron from 18 75-' 7 7. 

He was retired by reason of failing health, Decem- 
ber 23, 1886, with full pay and the thanks of a grateful 
nation. 

He died in Washington, D. C, October 18, 1879. 




C/c^<n^..C'?rz^^^f'^a/n^o^<i>^^ 



XL. 



JOHN ADOLPH DAHLGREN. 

" My father was a quiet, thoughtful, retiring man whose motto was, ' Always 
do your duty,' and he did it. He was methodical and steady. If that will attract 
the young it ought to be shown up in its full light." — Tribute by his son, Capt. 
C. B. Dahlgren. 

The success of the North in the Civil War was in 
a great measure decided by means of the " Dahlgren 
Shell Gun," the invention of John A. Dahlgren, operated 
by the navy of the United States. The Dahlgren guns 
quieted the pretention of the formidable iron-clad mon- 
ster Virginia {Merrimac) ; it opened the Mississippi 
river at New Orleans and Vicksburg ; it gave to the 
North the naval station at Port Royal, S. C.; it sealed 
Charleston and Wilmington to blockade runners ; it 
captured Mobile and sunk the Alabama. 

John Adolph Dahlgren was born in Philadelphia. 
Pa., November 13, 1809. His father, Bernard Ulric 
Gustavus Dahlorren, was the son of an eminent Swedish 
physician, and came from Sweden to Philadelphia in 
December, 1807. He at once applied for naturaliza- 
tion papers which were granted in 18 12. In 1808 he 
was married to Martha Rowan McConnell of Phila- 
delphia. He became a merchant, was afterward ap- 
pointed Swedish and Norwegian consul, and died, 
fulv 19. 1824. 

485 



486 A)}icrican Naval Heroes. 

His son John Adolph was given a warrant as mid- 
shipman in the United States Navy, February i, 1826; 
served in his first cruise on board the United States 
frio-ate Macedonian, and was attached to the Ontario 
of the Mediterranean squadron, i830-'32. 

In 1832 he passed an examination, and by reason 
of his proficiency in mathematics was detailed for duty 
in the United States coast survey service. He was 
commissioned Heutenant in 1837. and by advice of a 
physician, was given leave of absence. He spent two 
years of rest on a farm to recover his sight, then 
greatly impaired by reason of an injury to the optic 
nerve. In 1839 ^^ '^^^ married to Mary Clement 
Ikinker of Philadelphia, and In 1840 returned to duty, 
his eyesight fully restored. 

In 1843 he sailed to the Mediterranean on the 
frigate Ciimberla^td, returning later, in 1845, t>y reason 
of the threatened war with Mexico. He was assigned 
to ordnance duty at Washington in 1847, much against 
his wish, as his inclination was for active duty afioat. 

His progress and promotion in the ordnance depart- 
ment was rapid and he introduced improvements and 
innovations that made the ordnance department of the 
United States Navy the most efficient and formidable 
in the world. He continued in the department for 
sixteen years, reaching the position of Chief of 
Ordnance. 

The " Dahlofren Shell Gun" and Its accessories 
was the crownine result of his inventions, and when in 



John Adolpli Dahlgren. 4S7 

1 86 1 the Civil War put it to the severest tests, it 
proved the wisdom and forethought of its inventor and 
projector. He instituted the foundry for cannon, the 
gun-carriage ship, and the experimental battery. 

He was made commander in 1855, and in order to 
test his apparent innovations he was allowed to equip 
the sloop-of-war PlyTnoutJi, with his eleven-inch guns 
and other modern ordnance considered too heavy for 
sea service. 

In 1857 he visited the European coast from Portu- 
gal to Holland, and in 1858-59 cruised in the West 
Indies, fully testing the efficacy and adaptability of his 
guns to naval warfare. 

In the Civil War he was a valued adviser of the 
President. His guns and heavy ammunition quieted 
the Merrimac in Hampton Roads, opened the Mis- 
sissippi at New Orleans and Vicksburg, gave Port 
Royal to the Union forces as a naval station, sealed 
Charleston, Wilmington and Savannah to blockade 
runners, captured Mobile, and sunk the Alabama. 

In 1 86 1 Commander Dahlgren was at the Wash- 
ington Navy Yard, and on account of the disaffection 
in the navy he was the senior officer loyal to the gov- 
ernment left in that yard, which he held for four days, 
until the Federal troops relieved him. 

He was promoted captain in July, 1861, remaining 
commander of the yard. In July. 1862, he was made 
chief of the Bureau of Ordnance, and in February, 
1863, he received from Congress a vote of thanks and 



488 ATfierican Naval Heroes. 

was made rear-admiral. In July. 1863, he succeeded 
to the command of the South Atlantic blockading- 
squadron, which comprised ninety vessels of war, in- 
cluding the iron-clad monitor fleet at Charleston, and 
guarded three hundred miles of coast and twenty-five 
ports. 

He succeeded in silencing Fort Sumter, and the 
batteries on Morris Island; put a stop to blockade 
running, led a successful expedition on the St. Johns 
River, co-operated with Sherman in the capture of 
Savannah and entered Charleston in February, 1865. 

He commanded the South Pacific squadron in 
1866, and was again chief of ordnance, 1869 -'70, 
being relieved at his own request and appointed to 
the command of the Washington Navy Yard. 

He did not make a brilliant naval record as he did 
not encourage pomp or display, but he accomplished 
a great work and will be remembered for the efficient 
gun he invented and gave to his country, together 
with his undivided service during the Civil War. His 
long career in the navy was marked by unfaltering 
loyalty and spotless integrity. 

His son Ulric was killed before Richmond, Va., 
when leading a cavalry force in an endeavor to rescue 
the Federal soldiers confined in prison at the Confed- 
erate capital. He had fought at Fredericksburg, Chan- 
cellorsville and throughout the Virginia campaign. 
At Gettysburg he lost a leg and was promoted to a 
colonelcy. Another son, Charles Bunker, was a naval 



yoJui Adolpk Dahlgreii. 489 

officer who fought at New Orleans, Arkansas Fort 
and Vicksburg and on board the iron-clads on the 
Atlantic coast, and reached the rank of captain in 
command of the Gettysburg. 

He died in Washington, D. C, July 12, 1870, and 
was buried in the family burying ground at Laurel 
Hill, Philadelphia, Pa. 

Admiral Dahlgren published several valuable works, 
chiefly on ordnance, their titles including :" Exercise 
and. Manoeuver for the Boat Howitzer" (1852); 
"Boat Armament" (1852); "Percussion System" 
(1852); "Ordnance Memoranda" (1853); and "Shells 
and Shell Guns " (1859). He also wrote " Memoir 
of Ulric Dahlgren. " 




Charles Henry Davis. 



XLIV. 
CHARLES HENRY DAVIS. 

To Flag-officer Davis belongs the credit of planning the first extensive naval 
flotillas used in the Civil War in connection with the operations of the army. 
To his genius when in a subordinate position, is due the possession of the coasts 
of North and South Carolina with Military Departments in both states. This 
put a decided check on blockade running when that means of raising revenue 
was of vital importance to the Southern Confederacy. 

The operations of the gun-boats on the upper Mis- 
sissippi after the signal victory gained by the navy 
under Flag-officer Foote at Island No. lo, in which 
the possibilities of the new engine of war had been 
demonstrated, increased public interest in that arm of 
the service. 

The achievements of Captain Walke with the Car- 
07idelet decided the fate of the Confederate forts and 
water batteries that had been built with such consum- 
mate engineering skill and provided with an armament 
made up of the latest improved heavy guns to be pro- 
cured in England. 

Flag-officer Foote by reason of ill health attending 
injuries received in service, had been relieved, and 
Commodore Charles Henry Davis succeeded him as 
flag-officer of the upper Mississippi flotilla on May 9, 
1862. The older officers hailed his coming with great 
satisfaction and looked to him as a leader who would 
not be content to be a mere witness to the naval 



492 American Naval Heroes. 

engagements directed by him, but a leader in person, a 
participant in victories, whose flag-ship would be the 
last in retreat. 

He was born in Boston. Mass., January i6, 1807. 
When sixteen years old he joined the navy on board 
the frigate United States, and was stationed with the 
Pacific squadron from 1827 to 1829. In 1829 he was pro- 
moted passed midshipman and ordered to the Ontario, 
going with her to the Mediterranean. In March, 
1834, he joined the Vincennes of the Pacific squadron, 
having attained the rank of lieutenant. Upon his 
return home he was transferred to the Independence, 
one of the vessels making up the Brazilian squadron, 
where he served until 1842, when he was ordered 
home and to shore duty in the ordnance department, 
and subsequently to the coast survey service. 

In this line of duty he made valuable discoveries 
in locating the New South Shoals off Nantucket Island, 
directly in the track of European and coastwise vessels 
coming into the harbor of New York. This achieve- 
ment in surveying skill removed the mystery that 
had been woven into many a story of the sea, and 
the numerous unaccountable wrecks and accidents 
attributed to the displeasure of old Neptune were 
found to be due to natural causes, thereafter named 
upon all charts. The merchant and marine insurance 
companies of New York passed special resolutions of 
thanks to Lieutenant Davis and the invaluable ser- 
vice he had rendered the merchant marine was 



Charles Henry Davis. 493 

generally acknowledged. He inaugurated the publica- 
tion of the American Nautical Almanac in 1849, and 
superintended its publication for several years. 

His literary and scientific work was interfered with 
by the outbreak of the Civil War, when as a member 
of the coast survey he was made one of a board of 
ofificers entrusted with the task of inquiring into the 
condition of the harbors and inlets of the Southern 
coast, preparatory to the operations of Flag-officer S. 
F. Dupont in the expedition of the combined land and 
naval forces at Port Royal, S. C. In this service Lieu- 
tenant Davis was chief-of-staff to the flaof-officer. This 
fleet was the largest in point of number of vessels 
ever placed in command of an American naval officer 
up to that time. It included fifty steamers and sailing 
vessels besides twenty-five coalers. 

Lieutenant Davis had been active in accumulatino- 
and fitting out this expedition, and was better informed 
as to its armament and strength than any other officer 
connected with the fleet. It assembled at Hampton 
Roads, October 27, 1861. On October 29th the flag- 
ship Wabash gave signal and raised anchor, and was 
followed by the entire fleet out of the roads. When 
off Hatteras they encountered a severe storm and the 
vessels became separated. The suffering of the men 
during four consecutive days of continuous hurricane 
such as is only known off that stormy cape, is a chapter 
of unwritten history, and its deeds of heroism remain 
unsung. 



494 America7i Naval Heroes. 

Heroes are born not only in the glamour of battle, 
but as well in the dread conflicts between the ele- 
ments, as each in turn makes a plaything of the men 
and ships that dare to cross their path. But heroes 
of the storm escape the record incident to the accom- 
paniment of shot and shell. It was a battle for life 
against enraged and furious wind and wave, and the 
brave soldier and battle-scarred sailor when the storm 
was over, voiced a single expression that they would 
rather a thousand times encounter death in the line 
of battle or before the broadside of opposing ships-of- 
war than experience one night of such storm. 

On November 4th, twenty-five of the fleet, includ- 
ing the flags-hip, anchored on the bar off Port Royal 
harbor, and the other vessels of the fleet that had 
weathered the storm came in day after day thereafter. 
Fleet Captain Davis after careful surveys, planted 
buoys to mark the channel, all former guides having 
been destroyed or misplaced by the Confederates, and 
the fleet passed safely into the inner harbor. 

Subsequently Forts Walker and Beauregard were 
reduced by the naval squadron and undisputed posses- 
sion was gained of the town and surrounding country. 

A base of supply and operations for both the mili- 
tary and naval forces of the Federal government was 
thus formed. The army of occupation was under com- 
mand of General W. T. Sherman, and the Confederate 
force driven out of town was commanded by General 
Drayton and the naval forces by Commander Tatnall 



Charles Henry Davis. 495 

of the Confederate navy. The men made their escape 
in Tatnall's steamers and in army transports, but the 
works, ammunition, guns and provisions fell into the 
hands of the Federal forces. Flag-officer Dupont in 
his report of the capture especially commended the 
work done by Fleet Captain Davis and gave him 
credit for great bravery, skill and executive aid. 

Meanwhile the condition of affairs in the West 
called for a naval commander, and the department 
selected for the service Captain Davis, who relieved 
Admiral Foote, May 9, 1862. 

The next day he assumed command of the fleet, 
which at the time comprised seven partially iron-clad 
gun-boats arranged in two divisions. They com- 
manded the Mississippi River above Fort Pillow, 
Tenn. The Tennessee shore was guarded by the first 
division, comprising three gun-boats, including Flag- 
officer Davis's flag-ship. The second division was 
stationed on the Arkansas shore of the river and 
embraced four gun-boats. They were anchored bow 
down stream. 

Under orders from the retiring flag-officer they had 
been for two days in readiness for action with steam 
up and " on watch and watch," awaiting the Confed- 
erate fleet of nine gun-boats below the bend and also 
with steam up. There had been some firing with 
mortars, but no effective shot reached the enemy. 
The Benton, Phelps, commander, was flag-ship, and 
with the Carondelet, Walke, commander, and the 



496 American Naval Heroes. 

Pittsburg, Thompson, commander, made up the Ten- 
nessee shore division. The Mound City, Kilty, com- 
mander ; the Cincinnati, Steubel, commander ; the 
St. Louis, Eben, commander ; and the Cairo, Bryant, 
commander, made up the Arkansas shore division. 
The crews w^ere lying at their guns and the men were 
on watch for any movement of the enemy. 

A mortar-boat under consort of the Cincinnati 
dropped down stream until nearly opposite Fort Pil- 
low, and opened fire upon the enemy about 5 a. m. 
The Confederate ram fleet at once cleared for action 
and weighed anchor. The heavy black smoke from 
their fires was the first intimation Flag-officer Davis 
had of the intended attack. The Carondelet was the 
first to take the alarm, and her crew were at their guns 
and the ship cleared for action before the order came 
from the Benton. The gun tackle, swords, pistols, 
boarding pikes, rifles, gun-carriages, rammers and 
sponges, shot and shell, crowbars and handspikes, 
were ready at hand within three or four minutes. 

It was 6.30 a.m. when the Benton made a general 
signal to get under weigh. The mist over the river 
prevented the signal being seen, and verbal orders 
were passed by the pilots of the Pittsburg and Caro7i- 
delet through the trumpet. Slipping her hawser the 
Carondelet was the first to be off, and as she passed 
the Benton Flag-officer Davis ordered her to go ahead 
and not wait for the flag-ship. This action saved the 
Cincinnati which was four miles below and in great 



Charles Henry Davis. 497 

danger, as the whole Confederate fleet was making for 
her, determined to effect her capture before the other 
vessels could come to her aid. 

The Caroiidelet was a slow sailer, and the Mound 
City, which had not waited for orders, had caught up 
to her just at the critical moment. Together they 
drove off the Confederate fleet after the General 
Bragg had cut an immense hole in the starboard 
side of the Cinci?inati and delivered several effective 
broadsides from her ports, severely wounding Com- 
mander Steubel. The other Confederate rams had 
given her the force of their iron prows in her wounded 
side. The Carondelet discharged repeated broadsides 
into the General Bragg, so disabling her machinery 
as to cause her to drift down the stream and out of 
the fight. 

As the General Van Dor7i, the General Price, and 
the General Sunipter advanced to continue the work 
of the General Bragg, the Mound City and Caro?i- 
delet met them with continuous broadsides until their 
proximity to the Ciiici^inati endangered that vessel, 
which was in a sinking condition. The effect of the 
shot stayed the course of the Confederate fleet, as the 
General Van Dorn was the only one of the fleet to 
pass the Cinciniiati. As she did so she ran for and 
delivered her sharp prow against the Mound City, and 
was answered by a broadside full into her bow. 

The antagonists then drifted apart, the one steam- 
ing up the river and the other down stream, both 



498 A77terica7i Naval Heroes. 

badly damaged. This left the Carondelet alone to 
oppose the General ^eff Thompson , tho. General Lovell 
and the General Beauregard which had come up to 
the support of the disabled fleet. On rounding to in 
the middle of the river, the Carondelet ran between 
the opposing fires of the remainder of the Federal 
fleet — ■which had reached the scene of action in this 
order: St. Louis, Pittsburg, and Benton, — and the re- 
enforced Confederate fleet. One or two grape-shot 
from the Benton swept across the deck of the Caron- 
delet. The smoke was so dense as to prevent the 
operations of the several vessels being witnessed from 
the others, and the firing was necessarily interrupted. 
Durino- the confusion incident to this condition 
the Confederate flag-ship Little Rebel dashed into the 
midst of the Federal fleet and ran close under the ^5*6';^- 
tons broadside, but escaped annihilation by a skillful 
manoeuver on the part of the pilot, who placed her 
under the lee of the disabled rams. As the smoke 
arose the Confederates were retiring, taking their dis- 
abled vessels with them. They were closely pursued 
by the Carondelet 2,x\A Bento7i, keeping up a continuous 
fire from their bow guns until the Confederates found 
shelter under the guns of Fort Pillow. The Mound 
City sank at the first island above the scene of the 
fight, and the Cincinnati sank on the Tennessee 
shore. The Carondelet remained on the spot the day 
and night following, acting as a guard to protect the 
mortar-boats which the enemy had not harmed. 



Charles Henry Davis. 499 

The Confederate naval force engaged in the battle 
of Fort Pillow was commanded by Captain J. E. Mont 
gomery. who had not received a naval training. The 
enfjai^ement lasted one hour and ten minutes, and 
was the first of a series of pitched battles between the 
Federal and Confederate gun-boats on the Western 
waters. 

Under o-uard of the or-un-boats, the mortar-boats 
kept up the bombardment of Fort Pillow without inter- 
ruption until that stronghold was evacuated June 4, 
1862, and in the early morning of June 5, Flag-officer 
Davis with the Benton, Mound City, Carondclet, St. 
Louis, Cairo, and Louisville, accompanied by the ram 
fleet Monarch, Queen of the West, Switzerland, and 
Lancaster, under Colonel Ellet, rounded to at Fort 
Pillow and took possession of the abandoned works, 
Colonel Ellet hoisting the stars and stripes over the 
fort. The Confederates had spiked two 128-pounders 
which weighed 16,000 pounds each, and the entire 
fort was of superior construction and not equaled by 
any other of the Confederate strongholds. 

On June 6 the fleet had reached Memphis, Tenn., 
before which city they found the Confederate fleet of 
Commander Montgomery drawn up in double line of 
battle ready to oppose them. The ram squadron 
under Colonel Ellet dashed ahead of the gun-boats 
and ran for the enemy's fleet. 

They succeeded at the first onslaught in sinking one 
and disablino: another of the Confederate iron-clads. 



500 Americafi Naval Heroes. 

but in turn they were treated to the same method 
of warfare by the Confederate ram Beauregard which, 
missing Colonel Ellet's vessel, ran into the General 
Price and disabled her by tearing off her wheel. The 
Federal fleet then raked the Beauregard fore and aft 
with shot and shell until she found her grave in the 
river opposite Memphis. The General Lovcll was 
badly rammed by Qiiceu of the West, and under 
the effect of shot and shell from the Federal fleet she 
too found a grave for herself and many of her gallant 
officers and crew in the middle of the Mississippi. The 
General Price, Little Rebel and Queen of the West 
were disabled and ran ashore on the Arkansas side. 
The Jeff Thompson was next disabled, ran ashore and 
was blown up. The General Sumter was also dis- 
abled and captured, the General Bragg soon after 
sharing the same fate, her officers first running her 
ashore and escaping into the woods. 

The General Van Dorn alone of the entire Con- 
federate fleet escaped down the river, followed closely 
by the rams Monarch and Switzerland, from which 
she escaped by reason of her superior speed. An eye 
witness thus describes the fight : 

" The people in thousands crowded the high bluffs overlooking 
the river, some of them apparently as gay and cheerful as a bright 
May morning, and others watchmg with silent awe the impending 
struggle. The roar of cannon and shell soon shook the earth on 
either shore for many miles ; first, wild yells, shrieks and clamors, 
then loud despairing murmurs, filled the affrighted city. The 
screaming, plunging shell crashed into the boats, blowing them and 
their crev»'s into fragments ; and the rams rushed upon each other 



Charles Henry Davis. 501 

like wild beasts in deadly conflict. Amidst all this confusion and 
horror, the air was filled with the coal and sulphurous blinding 
smoke ; and as the battle progressed, all the cheering accents on 
shore were silent, every voice became tremulous and disheartened 
as it became evident that their fleet was faltering, and one after an- 
other of their vessels sank or became disabled. The deep sympa- 
thizing wail which followed each disaster went up like a funeral 
dirge from the assembled multitude and had an overwhelming pathos : 
but still they gazed through their flowing tears upon the struggle, 
until the last hope gave way, and then the lamentations of the be- 
reaved burst upon the ear in deep, heartrending cries of anguish. 
The die was cast, and the crowd of mourning spectators melted 
away, in unutterable sadness for loved ones lost and their sanguine 
hopes of victory forever gone. The spectacle was one which sub- 
dued all feeling of resentment on the part of the victors, and awak- 
ened a natural sympathy toward the vanquished — their fellow 
countrymen — onshore. The general grief and the weight of woe 
inflicted on some of the spectators was such as could arise only from 
a civil war, like that in which we were then engaged. The crowning 
scene though less distressing was more terrific and sublime than 
anything which had preceded it. In the hour of triumph and naval 
supremacy when our gun-boats were returning to Memphis occurred 
the explosion of the Jeff Thompson'' s magazine. In an instant before 
a sound had reached our ears, the heavens were lighted up as by a 
magnificent coronet, its snowy white crest reaching beyond the 
clouds. Then came the terrific roar, and the scene — one that can 
never be forgotten — was of surprising beauty and grandeur. " 

A few days after the battle and capture of Mem- 
phis, Flag-officer Davis dispatched the Mound City, 
St. Louis, and Lexington, followed by the Cones toga 
and three captured transports, up the White River. 
They proceeded about one hundred miles to St. 
Charles, a fortified Confederate stronghold. The 
Mound City opened fire, and the transports under this 
protection landed the troops that accompanied the 
expedition. A shot from the Confederate battery 



502 American Naval Heroes. 

struck the Mound City, piercing the steam chest, and 
the steam as it escaped dealt death or an agony ten 
times worse, to about two hundred of her crew. 
Only thirty-five escaped serious injury. Every offi- 
cer but one was either scalded or killed. The land 
force captured the fort and the vessels of the fleet 
secured several river crafts loaded with cotton, which 
" loyal" owners claimed and the prizes were given up. 

The fleet then returned to the Mississippi River, 
and there on June 30, learned from a Federal naval 
officer that Admiral Farragut had arrived above Vicks- 
burg with eight of his fleet, and Admiral Porter with 
his mortar fleet was just below the city. 

On the morning of July i , the flotilla exchanged 
signals with Farragut's fleet. This movement se- 
cured the possession of the entire Mississippi, except 
before Vicksburg, to the Federal gun-boats, and 
enabled Farragut, Davis, and Porter to co-operate 
in their future movements against fortifications at 
Vicksburg and the few remaining Confederate iron- 
clads. 

About this time Flag-officer Davis learned of the 
near completion of a formidable iron-clad ram and gun- 
boat combined, said to be equal in armament and 
armor to the Virginia or Merrimac, destroyed by the 
little Monitor. This Western terror was named the 
Arkansas. The Confederates boasted that she would 
speedily clear the Mississippi River of every Federal 
gun-boat and hold undisputed possession of the river. 



Charles Henry Davis. 503 

In view of the presence of so dangerous an antag-- 
onist Captain Davis had the fleet strengthened by 
heavy timbers placed inside the iron-clad shields so as 
to protect the boilers, engines, artd other vulnerable 
points, should the shot from the heavy guns of the 
Arkansas pierce the armor-plated sides. He then 
gave separate instructions to the commanders of the 
Carondelet, Taylor, and the steam ram Qnecn of the 
West, and they proceeded up the Yazoo River to 
reconnoiter, neither of the commanding officers beino- 
informed as to the object of their mission or of the 
possible danger attending it. 

When they had proceeded six miles up the river 
the Taylor and Queen of the West being in the lead, as 
they were the better sailers, discovered the monster 
iron-clad of 1,200 tons burden with a sharp iron beak 
projecting four feet in front of her stem, and the 
entire sloping deck clad with railroad iron inverted so 
as to present a perfectly smooth surface. The two 
Federal vessels beat a hasty retreat, fearing to encoun- 
ter the monster and desirous of notifying the Federal 
fleet before Memphis of the proximity and rapid 
approach of the dangerous antagonist. In their 
retreat they kept up a running fire from their stern 
guns which continued for an hour, when the Arkansas 
was found to increase her speed, intending to run the 
little gun-boats down. 

At this critical moment the Carondelet, then still 
on her way up the river, reached the scene of action 



504 American Naval Heroes. 

and opened fire from her bow guns, and as she 
approached the Arkansas, avoided her sharp prow 
by a skillful turn of her wheel. This brought the two 
vessels side by side, and as they passed, the Carondelet 
discharged a full broadside on the armored side of the 
Arkansas, the shot doing no apparent harm. 

The movement, however, enabled the Carondelet 
to turn around and use her bow guns fairly on the stern 
of the enemy, but the shot glanced from her invulner- 
able armor as had those discharged broadsides even 
in the closest possible range. The answering shot 
from the Arka7isas, however, played havoc with 
the steering gear of the Carondelet, and she ran 
into shore pierced with thirteen shot holes and with 
her machinery greatly damaged. Of her crew four 
were killed, some wounded, many leaping overboard to 
escape the scalding steam from the chest pierced by 
the shot. 

The Taylor meanwhile came under the protection 
of the Caro7idelet which was soon again afloat and 
steaming with her best efforts toward the protecting 
fleet six miles below. The Arkansas slackened her 
speed so as to keep alongside the two Federal gun- 
boats and continued to pour shot from her heavy guns 
into their broken sides and stern. This running fight 
was kept up for over an hour, the Arkansas using 
her bow guns while the Carondelet and Taylor ysi&x^ 
thus enabled to use their stern guns, which were the 
ones least affected by the previous combat. The 



Charles Henry Davis. 505 

distance between the vessels ranged from 500 yards 
to 20 feet. 

As the Arkansas drew near the Carondelet, Cap- 
tain Walke ordered his boarders on deck, determining 
at all hazards to risk a hand-to-hand fight rather than 
to let the unequal duel at close range continue. As 
the men appeared to carry out this intention the 
Arka7isas increased her speed and passed the Caron- 
dclet within twenty feet. Taking advantage of this 
movement Captain Walke ordered his boarders below 
and directed a broadside against the pilot-house of 
the Arkansas, at the same time crowding her to the 
western shore of the river. As she passed, the Car- 
ondelet fired her bow guns into the stern ports of the 
Arkansas, shooting away her flag. The Arkajisas 
gave chase to the Taylor and Queen of the West, while 
the steering ropes of the Carondelet being shot away, 
she ran helpless ashore. 

The Arkansas ran through the anchored fleet of 
Farragut, Porter and Davis at the mouth of the river, 
and made her way to a place of safety where she 
repaired the damages done to her by the shot of the 
Carondelet. As she passed the Federal fleet she dis- 
charged broadsides right and left into the fleet and re- 
ceived in turn broadsides from the Hartford, Iroquois, 
Richard, Essex and Benton, but without slackening 
her speed, made her way to Vicksburg. 

Her commander. Captain Isaac N. Brown, reported 
her loss, ten killed and fifteen wounded, others with 



5o6 America7i Naval Heroes. 

slight wounds. He added that her smokestack was 
shot to pieces and the vessel otherwise cut up. 

The Mississippi squadron then passed to the com- 
mand of Acting Rear-Admiral David D. Porter, and 
he added to the victories of the naval forces the con- 
quest of all the Confederate strongholds. 

Davis was commissioned commodore in July, 1862, 
and was chief of the bureau of navigation in Washing- 
ton from 1862 to 1865. He was next made rear- 
admiral to date from February, 1863. 

He was superintendent of the United States Naval 
Observatory at Washington, 1865-67 ; commanded 
the South Atlantic squadron 1867-69 ; was a member 
of the light-house board; commander of the Norfolk 
Navy Yard, and finally resumed his old place as super- 
intendent of the Naval Observatory. 

He died in W^ashington, D. C, February 18, 1877. 



XLV. 



FRANKLIN BUCHANAN. 



He opposed Admiral Farragut in tiie battle of Mobile Bay, and as com- 
mander of the formidable iron-clad 7 entiessee gave to the Admiral a valiant and 
ably conducted fight against great odds and did not surrender until so severely 
wounded as to incapacitate him from commanding his ship. 

Franklin Buchanan was born in Baltimore, Md., 
September 17, 1800. He joined the United States 
Navy and was a midshipman at fifteen ; a lieutenant at 
twenty-five ; and master-commandant at forty-one. 

His service in the United States Navy included the 
safe delivery of the Baltimore, a steam frig-ate built for 
the Emperor of Brazil, at the port of Rio de Janeiro 
in July, 1826. He assisted in organizing- and was 
the first superintendent of the United States Naval 
Academy at Annapolis, 1845-47; commanded the 
Gertnantoivn in the seige of Vera Cruz in 1847, under 
Commodore M. C. Perry, and accompanied that officer 
in the expedition to China and Japan as commander 
of the flag-ship Susquehanna in 1853-54. He was 
made captain in 1855, and commanded the Washing- 
ton Navy Yard, i859-'6i. In April, 1 861, he resigned 
his commission in the United States Navy in the full 
belief that his native state was about to pass the ordi- 
nance of secession. When Maryland failed to pass 
the ordinance he asked to be reinstated in the navy 




Franklin Buchanan. 



Franklin Buchanan. 509 

but was refused and he thereupon offered his services 
to the Confederacy in September, 1 86 1 , and was placed 
in charge of the construction and equipment of the 
iron-clad Merrimac or Virginia. 

When the vessel was completed he brought her 
out of the navy yard at Norfolk, and attacked the 
Federal fleet at Hampton Roads, March 8, 1862, 
destroying the Congress and Cumberland and placing 
the entire fleet at jeopardy. He was wounded in the 
encounter and was not in command of the iron-clad 
on the following day when she encountered the Mon- 
itor and was defeated. For his action in the fight of 
the 8th he received from the Confederate Congress a 
note of thanks for his gallantry, and was promoted to 
the full rank of admiral and placed in command of the 
Confederate navy as senior officer. 

He commanded the naval defenses of Mobile in 
1863, and suggested and superintended the construc- 
tion of the iron-clad ram Tennessee, the most effective 
vessel brought against Admiral Farragut's fleet in the 
battle of August 5, 1864. 

In this battle Admiral Buchanan formed his vessels 
across the channel in single line, flanked on either 
wing by powerful land batteries. As Farragut's fleet 
approached, the four monitors formed a single column 
to the right of the wooden fleet. Buchanan allowed 
the Federal fleet to get into short range before he 
ordered his fleet and the batteries on land to open fire, 
which was delivered with terrific effect. 



5IO Americaii Naval Heroes. 

The first opponent to the Tennessee was the United 
States monitor Tecumseh, which had crept up in good 
form and was ready to deliver her 12-inch solid shot 
against the sides of the Confederate ram when she was 
seen to reel and disappear beneath the waves, a victim 
to a torpedo, and her gallant commander, T. A. 
Craven and most of her crew were coffined in her iron 
hulk. The Brooklyn, which followed in the wake of 
the Tecimisch, when her officers witnessed this disaster, 
stopped the vessel and the whole fleet seemed to be 
paralyzed. The Confederate admiral made good use 
of his opportunity by signalling the fleet and batteries 
to keep up a continuous fire. 

It was at this moment that the determination of 
one man snatched victory from defeat and notwith- 
standing the skill and heroism of Admiral Buchanan 
encompassed the destruction of the Tennessee whose 
power at that moment was supreme. 

Admiral Farragut, seeing the fleet hesitate, shouted 
through his trumpet : 

" What's the trouble?" and when the answer came 
" Torpedoes ! " he called back : 

"Damn the torpedoes! Four bells. Captain 
Drayton, go ahead. Jouett, full speed." 

His flag-ship, the Hartford, took the lead and the 
entire fleet passed the forts and took refuge out of the 
way of Fort Morgan. 

Admiral Buchanan was not yet defeated. Without 
delay he directed the Tennessee to ram the Hartford, 



Franklin Buchanan. 511 

and on the way encountered the Monongakela, to 
which vessel the ram paid no attention. As the ship 
struck the iron-clad obliquely she slid off with no 
damage to the Tennessee, and as she passed the 
Monongahela the admiral directed the battery to give 
her a salute, and two heavy twelve-pound solid shot 
passed through her. 

The shot from the Federal fleet glanced off the 
sides of the Tennessee and she continued on her way, 
giving the entire Federal fleet as much as they could 
do to stear clear of her iron prow. Her batteries were 
playing havoc with the wooden fleet, while their 
heaviest shot rolled down the iron-clad's sides like 
pebbles. The monitor Chickasaiu then approached 
the Tennessee and hung to her side like a bulldog. 
Finding her gables less protected she poured shot 
after shot into them, the first to do any damage. 

Meanwhile, the guns of the Tennessee were 
directed to drive off the little antagonist. One shot 
cleared her of her smokestack, another damaged her 
steering gear. Just as Admiral Buchanan thought he 
had won the day the monitor Manhattaii crept up and 
delivered a shot that penetrated the vessel and dis- 
abled her machinery. Admiral Buchanan was severely 
wounded, and having made so gallant a fight he as 
gallantly struck his flag and the battle of Mobile Bay 
was over. He was a prisoner of war until February, 
1865, when he was exchanged. 

He died in Talbot County, Md., May 11, 1874. 




Raphael Semmes. 



XLVI. 

RAPHAEL SEMMES. 

"There is no doubt that for intrepidity and daring no American ever com- 
manded a vessel who surpassed him in courage." 

Montgomery^ {Ala.) Advertiser. 

Raphael Semmes was born in Charles County, Md., 
September 27, 1809. He was appointed a midship- 
man in the United States Navy in 1826, spent six years 
in private study, and entered upon the active duties of 
his profession in 1832. 

He returned from his first cruise in 1834, and while 
in waiting orders studied law and was admitted to the 
bar with no intention, however, of abandoning his 
chosen profession. 

He was promoted lieutenant in 1837, ^^^ was flag- 
lieutenant under Commodore Conner in the Gulf 
squadron before and at the time of the Mexican War. 

Under Commodore Perry he took part in the siege 
of Vera Cruz and commanded the naval batteries 
planted on the shores when it was decided not to con- 
tinue the bombardment of the fort. He commanded 
the United States brig Somcrs. named after the gallant 
hero of Tripoli, in the blockade of the Mexican coast 
when that vessel foundered and most of the crew were 
drowned. He served on the light-house board on the 



514 Americaii Naval Heroes. 

gulf coast and as secretary of the board at Washington 
1848-61. 

When Alabama seceded, February 15, 1861, he 
resigned his commission in the United States Navy 
and reported to Jefferson Davis at Montgomery. He 
was entrusted with a mission to buy war material, and 
to hire mechanics skilled in the construction of guns 
and ordnance. He travelled through the north and 
procured thousands of tons of ordnance and powder 
and many workmen competent to erect and operate 
powder mills in the south and to manufacture light 
ordnance. He also secured several steamers of light 
draught. 

He returned to Alabama in April, 1861, took the 
oath of allegiance to the new grovernment and was 
assigned to the command of the Suniter at New 
Orleans, the pioneer vessel in the Confederate navy. 
She was armed with four 24-pounder howitzers and a 
heavy 8-inch shell-gun. She escaped to sea while the 
United States steam sloop Brooklyn was blockading 
the mouth of the Mississippi delta after being chased 
for four hours by the Brooklyn. He cruised in the 
West Indian waters and captured twelve prizes in as 
many days, when he ran into Cienfuegos for supplies. 
He then continued his cruise, capturing a great num- 
ber of prizes and landing at various ports in the West 
Indies and South America. 

On entering the port of Gibraltar the United 
States gun-boat Tuscarora blockaded the Suniter. 



Raphael Semmes. 5 1 5 

The Tiiscarora was soon joined by the Kearsarge, 
and this precluded the chance of escape, so Captain 
Semmes abandoned his vessel under the pretence of 
selling her. His diary about this time, after recount- 
ing the successes of the Su?nter and the number of 
prizes taken, reads: "We have thus far beaten the 
vandal hordes that have invaded and desecrated our 
soil. The just God of Heaven, who looks down upon 
the quarrels of men, will avenge the right." 

After the sale of the Sumter Captain Semmes 
went to England, where he arranged for the speedy 
completion of a cruiser then in an unfinished condi- 
tion. He had the armament loaded in a barque and 
dispatched to the Azores, and the cruiser soon put to 
sea and received her armament at Augra bay, where 
Captain Semmes, his officers, and twenty sailors, also 
joined her. He thereupon hoisted the Confederate 
flag. Then started a career which can scarcely be 
duplicated in the history of the world. For two years 
the Alabama sailed, sweeping the seas with a 
thoroughness which attracted the comment of the 
merchant service of the world and amazed the nations 
of civilization. 

England was filled with wonder and concern as 
report after report came in of captures and fights, as 
the little sea hermit, sent out from her dockyard in the 
face of neutrality laws, darted here and there, leaving 
in its wake a long list of plundered ships and burned 
vessels. 



5i6 Americatt Naval Heroes. 

The cupidity of the commercial Englishman was 
aroused as he saw a possibility of private gain from 
Semmes's intrepidity and recklessness. 

This led to the formation of a syndicate to buy the 
captured ships, and good English gold was paid to 
Semmes and his crew, with the understanding that 
the captured ships should be landed on the Hottentot 
coast, but there is no record of the syndicate getting 
any prizes. 

In two years Captain Semmes made 78,000 miles 
and had captured sixty-three American vessels. Of 
these he destroyed fifty-three, released nine on ransom 
bonds, and made one a tender. In all this time no 
United States war vessel had sighted the Alabama. 
Merchantmen were continually on the watch and were 
in terror of every unknown craft. This spectre of the 
deep swept the seas everywhere, and no American 
ship flying the Stars and Stripes was safe. 

It was not till January 11, 1865, that the real 
Alabama was sio-hted in the harbor of Cherbourof, 
France. The news of the discovery thrilled the whole 
North and the Navy Department ordered all available 
swift sailing vessels to the pursuit. 

Semmes appreciated the desperate position and 
might have escaped by flight before a United States 
war-ship could reach the port. 

But Raphael Semmes had been trained in the 
American navy and was at that moment an American 
seaman fighting under an American flag, though not 



Raphael Semmes. 5 1 7 

the Stars and Stripes of his youthful inspiration. As 
a secessionist or revolutionist he had not relinquished 
his Americanism and no American naval officer 
whether fighting for the northern or southern section 
could endure the stigma of fleeing before an enemy. 

Had he known that his powder was useless from 
age, that his shells were defective and would not ex- 
plode and that his guns were incapable, he might have 
pursued another course, but Semmes knew his hard- 
ened, toughened crew. He also knew his own ability 
and knew not fear. 

When the Kearsarge, Captain Winslow, appeared off 
the port he made ready for battle. He saw the shores 
and docks off Cherbourcj lined with sight seers eager 
to witness the naval duel between the Stars and Stripes 
of the North and the Stars and Bars of the South. 

The Alabama opened with her starboard battery 
and tried to close with the Kcarsarge. A broadside 
from that war-ship tore away the bulwarks of the Ala- 
bama and disabled her pivot gun. Another round and 
the Alabama was unable to respond to her helm. A 
lo-inch shell from the Kcarsarge exploded in the 
enofine room and the Alabama, with several feet of 
water in her hold, gave a death shiver. Captain 
Semmes ordered all sails set, hoping to reach the 
French coast ere his gallant ship sank beneath his feet. 

The order, "All hands save yourselves!" was 
reluctantly given, and the wounded were sent off in 
the only boat not shot to pieces. 



5i8 American Naval Heroes. 

The Confederate flag was not lowered, but Captain 
Semmes and his brave Heutenants, dressed in full 
Confederate naval uniform, stood on the deck. As the 
Alabama gave a lurch Semmes stepped to the side of 
his ship and threw his sword into the sea. Then he 
followed. The English yacht Deerhoiind, that had 
stood off to witness the duel, came to the rsecue of 
the officers before the boats of the Kearsarge could 
gain the place, and just then the Alabama, with her 
stern deep into the water dropped, her browsprit being 
the last object visible above the waves. 

Captain Semmes was carried to London where he 
was lionized, presented with swords, and continually 
feted. He made his way to his home through Mexico 
and on reaching Richmond was made rear-admiral and 
placed in command of the squadron operating on the 
James river guarding the approach to Richmond. 

After the war he practiced law and was elected a 
judge. He subsequently became an editor and wrote 
accounts of his naval exploits on the Alabama under 
the titles "The Cruise of the Alabama 2inA Siuiiter' 
(1864); " Memoirs of Service Afloat During the War 
Between the States " ( 1 869) , 
He died in Mobile, Ala., August 30, 1877. 



XLVII. 

THE NAVY IN THE WAR WITH SPAIN. 



In the spring of 1898 the United States and Spain 
stood before the world in the attitude of belligerents. 
Spain had a fleet that no naval constructor in the ser- 
vice of any nation at that time could improve. In 
armor, in guns, in ammunition and in the accessor- 
ies of torpedoes, torpedo-boats and torpedo-boat 
destroyers, the nations of Europe had nothing better 
to offer. 

Her army in Cuba numbered above one hundred 
thousand acclimated men, armed with the best rifles, 
provided with smokeless powder and having the most 
effective projectile known to modern warfare. The 
men were on their own soil under efficient officers, 
and the defenses behind which they were entrenched 
were models of military skill. 

The battles before Santiago gave an index to the 
determined, stand Spanish soldiers could make, and 
the length of the war, determined by the results of 
that series of battles, was an unsolved problem. 

It was not the fear of the issue as between the 
acclimated troops of Spain with their powerful ally the 



520 American Naval Heroes. 

deadly fever, on one side, and fifty thousand regulars 
and one hundred thousand volunteers — as brave 
men as ever stood in line of battle — on the other, 
that determined the issue of the war. 

On May 4, 1898, the beginning of the end was 
foretold when Commodore George Dewey steamed 
into Manila Bay and before breakfast annihilated the 
Spanish fleet defending* that harbor, without the loss 
of a single American sailor. The end came in July, 
1898, when Commodore Sampson directed the 
blockading fleet before Santiago harbor not to 
allow Cervera's battle-ships and torpedo-boat des- 
troyers to escape, and when the Spanish admiral 
did make the effort on July 3d, the last ship of 
Spain's boasted navy was a wreck on the rocky shores 
of Santiago. 

The American navy decided the issue of the war 
with Spain, and without detracting from the heroism' 
and patriotism of the American soldier in that war, it 
remains for the impartial historian to place the credit 
where it belongs. 

The smoke had hardly arisen from the scene of 
destruction off the harbor of Santiago when England 
took measures to strengthen her already supreme 
naval establishment, and this with no fear of immedi- 
ate or even prospective use. A lesson had been 
taught by America that the world was not slow to 
learn, — that the emblem of the powerful battle-ship 
of the future would be a dove. 



The Navy iji the J Far With Spain. 521 

Secretary of the Navy John D. Long, in the Boston 
Herald oi November 13, 1898, pays this tribute to the 
conduct of the Navy in the War with Spain: 

"It is with great pleasure that I respond to the request to give 
my testimony in behalf of the Navy. Nothing could be finer than 
its record during the present war, or furnish better evidence of the 
high standards it has attained in every branch. A great many 
influences have worked to this end : a fine spirit is inculcated at 
the beginning at the Academy ; the War College has been a great 
stimulus to high professional standards ; the training schools for sea- 
men ha\e elevated their character; it has also been an important 
factor that our naval officers have such a variety of work and experi- 
ence, serving for a few years afloat, then following the more direct 
lines of the service, and then as many years ashore engaged in duties 
which develop business qualifications, scientific attainments, and 
large general comprehension. Those who have not been on board 
one of our great battleships are unaware of what a compendium of 
the whole world of mechanical enterprise it is. Electricity, steam, 
hydraulics are all in use ; the business of housekeeping is made a 
science ; there is an establishment for printing ; a plant for distilling 
water ; a pharmacy and surgical operating room, and, indeed, almost 
every feature of civilized life. When, therefore, men, whose range 
of experience and training has been on such broad fields, took up 
the business of making war, they knew what they were about ; they 
added to brains the elements of skill and experience ; were hampered 
by no political complications ; their sole duty was to do their pro- 
fessional duty, and how well they did it the result shows. The 
absence of the loss of life, or even of ordinary casualties to person 
or property, is simply marvellous. One of the brightest pages in 
the story is that of the medical department, which made just as good 
a record on land as at sea. Not only was the health of our sailors 
on board ship good, but the marines who fought the first land 
battle and remained ashore at Guantanamo, made the same fine 
record in that respect. 

" Some new features were introduced into the naval service during 
the present war. The Solace is, I think, the first naval hospital ?hip. 
She was bought, put in perfect condition in about ten days, and has 
been a floating hospital with all that that means in the way of comfort 




Charles Edgar Clark. 



Charles Edgar Clark. 525 

Here he coaled and joined the fleet blockading the 
northern coast of Cuba, May 29, and the fleet of Com- 
modore Schley off Santiago de Cuba, June i, 1898. 

He was, like Admiral Dewey, a Vermont boy, 
having been born in Bradford, August 10, 1843. His 
father, James Dayton Clark, was a bookbinder in Mont- 
pelier, Vt., and his mother was Mary Saxton. His 
great-grandmother, Lois (Williams) Clark, a descend- 
ant of Robert Williams, settled in Roxbury, Mass., 
in 1636, and removed with her children to Bradford 
Vt., after the death of her husband, James Clark, who 
was a descendant of Myron Clark of Marblehead, Mass. 
His maternal grandfather, Major Hiram Saxton, was a 
soldier with the Vermont troops during the War of 
18 1 2 and his maternal grandmother was the daughter 
of Captain Williams of Wilmington, Vt., an officer of 
the Continental army. 

Charles attended the district school and the Acad- 
emy in Bradford. His brother Granville Lloyd, seven 
years his junior, went west and became a ranchman in 
Nebraska. Charles was appointed to a cadetship at 
Annapolis through the influence of Representative 
Justin S. Morrill, afterward United States senator from 
Vermont. 

He entered the Naval Academy, September 29, 1 860, 
in the class of 1864. This was a remarkable class in 
that Charles Dwight Sigsbee, Commander of the 
Maine and of the St. Paul ; Charles Vernon Gridley, 
Commander of the Olympia, flag-ship of Commodore 



526 American Naval Heroes. 

Dewey ; Bowman Hendry McCalla, commander of the 
Marblehead ; Robley Dunglison Evans, commander of 
the Iowa ; Colby Mitchell Chester, commanding South 
Atlantic Station ; Henry Glass, commander of the 
Charleston ; Casper Frederick Goodrich, commander of 
the St. Loicis ; Joseph Bullock Coghlan, commander of 
the Raleigh ; Francis Augustus Cook, commander of 
x\\Q Brooklyn ; James Hoban Sands, commander of the 
Coluinbia ; Frank Wildes, commander of the Boston ; 
and Benjamin Peffer Lamberton, who succeeded Grid- 
ley as commander of the Olympia, were all fellow-, 
middies at Annapolis. 

The need for naval officers in the Civil War called 
the greater part of the class of 1864 into active ser- 
vice before the completion of the course, and Midship- 
man Clark was made acting ensign, October, 1863; 
master, May 10, 1866; lieutenant, February 21, 1867; 
lieutenant-commander, March 12, 1868; commander, 
November 16, 1881 ; and captain, June 21, 1886. 

His first sea service was under Admiral Farragut, 
attached to the western gulf blockading squadron. 
He took part in the battle of Mobile Bay, and in the 
attack upon and capture of Fort Morgan. After the 
war he was attached chiefly to the Pacific and West 
Indian stations. He was on board the flag-ship of 
Commodore Rodgers at Valparaiso, S. A., when the 
United States commodore vainly urged the English 
admiral, present in the harbor, to unite with him in 
preventing the bombardment of the city, and he 



CJiarlcs Edgar Clark. 527 

witnessed several engagements between the Spanish 
fleet and the Peruvian batteries at Callio. 

He was on board the United States ship Sewanee 
when that vessel was lost off the coast of British Col- 
umbia, July 7, 1869, ^^d with a large portion of her 
crew was rescued by the British ships Sparrow and 
Hawk, and landed on Hope Island where he com- 
manded the shipwrecked party to protect them 
from the ravages of Indians, till they could be taken 
off by a steamer sent to their rescue by Admiral 
Thatcher. 

He was on duty at the Brooklyn and Portsmouth 
Navy Yards and as instructor in the U. S. Naval Acad- 
emy at Annapolis, 18 70-' 73 ; and served in the 
Asiatic station on board the Hartford, the Monocacy 
and the Kearsargc, 1873-77. He was then on duty 
at the Charlestown Navy Yard, 1877-80. He com- 
manded the training ship Ahw Hampshire in 1881 ; 
made a survey of the North Pacific coast, 1883-86; 
and was light-house inspector, 1889-91. 

He was assigned to the Mare Island Navy Yard, 
serving as captain of the yard, 1 891 -'93, and he was 
a member of various examining boards, 1893-95. 
He commanded the receiving ship Independence at the 
Mare Island Station, 1895-96; commanded the iM?;^- 
terey, 1896-98; and was transferred to the battle- 
ship 0reg07i, March 19, 1898, then under orders to join 
the Atlantic squadron on account of threatened war 
with Spain. 



528 



American Naval Heroes. 



The Oregon took part in these engagements with 
the batteries defending the entrance to Santiago de 
Cuba harbor and in the battle of July 3, when the 
Spanish fleet was destroyed. He was detached from 
the Oregon, August 6, 1898, and ordered to the 
naval hospital at Brooklyn, New York, and on August 
27 was granted two months' leave of absence. 

He was married to Maria Louisa, daughter of Wen- 
dell T. and Maria Louisa (Russell) Davis of Greenfield, 
Mass. Their daughters were married, one to Lieu- 
tenant Samuel S. Robison, and the other to Lieutenant 
Charles F. Hughes, both officers in the United States 
Navy. 




XLIX. 

GEORGE DEWEY. 

" The great heart of our nation throbs, not with boasting or greed of con- 
quest, but with deep gratitude that this triumph has come in a just cause, and 
that, by the grace of God, an effectual step has thus been taken toward the attain- 
ment of the wished-for peace." — President McKinley on learning of Dewey's 
victory in Manila Harbor. 

The hero of Manila Bay was born in MontpeHer, 
Vermont, December 26, 1837. His father, JuHus 
Yemans Dewey, was a leading physician in Montpelier, 
and his grandfather, Simeon Dewey, was a thrifty far- 
mer who migrated to Vermont from Hanover, N. H. 
His mother was Mary Perrin. 

George was an attendant of the village school and 
a ringleader in sport, frolic and boyish pranks. The 
boys were accustomed to rule the schoolmaster, but a 
new teacher, Major Z. K. Pangborn, determined to rule 
the boys and to that end began by giving George a 
severe flogging. He then accompanied the boy to 
his home where he displayed to the father the results 
of the chastisement inHicted, which George had taken 
without flinching. The Spartan father, who was the 
village doctor, neither commiserated with the lad nor 
cursed the teacher, but asked the boy if his punishment 
was sufficient to secure obedience to the orders of 
the school, and remarked that if such was not the case 
he would add to the sore back some additional stripes. 



George Dewey. 531 

George as heroically acknowledged submission to 
authority, as he had stood up to the ordeal of the rod 
wielded by the sinewy arm of the "new teacher" 
and after the good doctor had applied a lotion to the 
wounds he allowed George to remain at home a day or 
two to let his pride as well as his bruised skin heal. 

This incident was the beginning of a true and lasting 
friendship between the future Admiral and Major 
Pangborn, and George followed the teacher when he 
left Montpelier to another school at Johnson, Vermont. 
After spending some time at Johnson he attended the 
Academy at Montpelier and in 1852 entered Norwich 
University, a military school, where he learned to 
shoulder a musket and go through the manual of arms. 

In 1854 he prevailed upon his father to allow him 
to carry out the cherished desire of his boyhood days 
to join the navy, and Dr. Dewey readily obtained for 
his son an appointment to Annapolis through the 
Hon. James Meecham, representative in Congress 
from that district, who was also a college professor 
and a Congregational minister. 

Young Dewey found at the Naval Academy the life 
of which he had so long dreamed, and his progress was 
so rapid that on commencement day in 1858 he found 
himself fifth in his class. He was now a passed mid- 
shipman in the United States Navy and was assigned 
to the United States frigate, Wabash, attached to the 
Mediterranian squadron. Returning home in 1859, 
he was given leave of absence and was resting at his 



532 Ajnerican Naval Heroes. 

boyhood home among the hills ci Vermont when the 
news of the firing upon the Stars and Stripes that 
floated over Fort Sumter aroused him to the fact that 
his country was in need of him, and he hastened to 
the national capitol to report for duty. He was com- 
missioned lieutenant, April 19, 1861, and was assigned 
to the steam sloop-of-war Mississippi, a side wheeler 
of 17 guns commanded by Captain Melancthon Smith. 

The Mississippi left Hampton Roads, V^a., as one 
of the vessels making up the fleet of Flag-officers 
Farragut and Porter, ordered to operate with the west 
gulf blockading squadron in reducing Forts Jackson 
and St. Philip on the Mississippi river below New 
Orleans, and to capture the city. 

In the order of battle the Mississippi was assigned 
to the first division under Captain Theodorus Bailey, 
who on the Cayuga as flag- ship, led the division and 
the fleet. His orders from Flag-officer Farragut were 
to run the gauntlet of Fort Jackson which was on the 
right, and to open fire only when reaching Fort St. Philip 
on the left bank of the river. The Alississippi was 
the third vessel in the first division being preceded by 
the Cayuga and the Pensacola. 

The forts were passed on April 24, and after the 
passage, a fleet of eleven Confederate vessels includ- 
ing the two rams (iron-clads), the Manassas and the 
Louisiana, were in the river disputing the passage. 
They together attacked the Varuna and sunk her 
when Captain Bailey volunteered to ram the Manassas 



George Dewey. 533 

with the Mississippi, and to destroy her, which service 
was accepted by Farragut and accomplished by a 
double broadside from the Mississippi. 

The rest of the Confederate vessels were speedily 
disposed of by other vessels making- up the fleet of 
Flag-officer Farragut. On the 29th of April, the city 
of New Orleans was taken possession of by the United 
States marines, under command of Captain John L. 
Broome, and the Stars and Stripes hoisted over the 
Custom House, and on May ist the city was formally 
possessed by the United States army under General 
B. F. Butler. 

The Mississippi was sent down the river after the 
destruction of the Confederate fleet to look after Gen- 
eral Butler's transports, and to intercept the Confed- 
erate ram Loiiisiana, which had escaped while the 
fleet was passing Fort Jackson, and was blown up by 
the Confederates while under a flag of truce. They 
were negotiating for the surrender to Flag-officer 
Porter of forts, floating batteries and munitions of war. 

This cleared the river below New Orleans, and 
broke the back-bone of the Confederate strength. 

In undertaking to run the batteries of Port Hud- 
son, the RicJunoiid became disabled, and in trying to 
steer clear of her the Mississippi ran aground and 
stuck in the mud within one hundred yards of the 
Confederate batteries, so close In fact, that the sailors 
on the Mississippi could hear the gunners talking 
within the fort. The battery at once opened fire on 



534 American Naval Heroes. 

the helpless side wheeler and the vessel was soon in a 
blaze from stem to stern. 

Lieutenant Dewey was in charge of the gun-deck, 
and at once gave orders to spike the guns, while the 
crew not so employed were jumping overboard on the 
side opposite the battery to escape the flames. The 
captain with Lieutenant Dewey were the last to leave 
the burning vessel, and they were taken ashore by 
Seaman James Ruskin in a catamaran. While trudg- 
ing through the swamps and woods, they met a band 
of Confederate guerillas, who, recognizing in the ship- 
wrecked sailors no officers of rank, they let them 
pursue their course unmolsted. Dewey had cut the 
buttons from his coat and thus avoided capture. 

Admiral Porter in his Naval History of the Civil 
War thus describes the exploit and its result : 

" The steamship Mississippi, Capt. Melancthon Smith, followed in 
the wake of the Monongahela, firing whenever her guns could be 
brought to bear. At 11.30 o'clock she reached the turn which 
seemed to give our vessels so much trouble, and Capt. Smith was 
congratulating himself on the prospect of catching up with the flag- 
officer, when his ship grounded and heeled over three streaks to port. 

" The engines were instantly reversed, and the port guns run in 
in order to bring her on an even keel, while the fire from her star- 
board battery was re-opened upon the forts. The engines were 
backed with all the steam that could be put upon them, and the 
backing was continued for thirty minutes, but without avail. 

" It was now seen that it would be impossible to get the ship 
afloat. 

" Capt. Smith gave the order to spike the port battery and throw 
the guns overboard, but it was not done, for the enemy's fire was 
becoming so rapid and severe that the captain deemed it judicious 
to abandon the ship at once in order to save the lives of the men. 

*' \Vhile preparations were being made to destroy the ship the 



George Dewey. 535 

sick and the wounded were lowered into boats and conveyed ashore, 
while the men at the starboard battery continued to fight in splendid 
style, firing at every flash of the enemy's gun. The small arms were 
thrown overboard and all possible damage was done to engine and 
everything else that might prove of use to the enemy. 

" The ship was at first set on fire in the forward storeroom, but 
three shots came through below her water line and put out the 
flames. She was then set fire in four places aft, and when the 
flames were well under way, so as to make her destruction certain, 
Capt. Smith and his first lieutenant (George Dewey) left the ship, 
all the other officers and crew having been landed before. 

" The J/mm//// was soon in a blaze fore and aft, and as she was 
now relieved of a great deal of weight — by the removal of her crew 
and the destruction of her upper works — she floated off the bank 
and drifted down the river, much to the danger of the Union vessels 
below. But she passed without doing them any injury, and at 5.30 
o'clock blew up and went to the bottom. 

" The detonation was heard for miles around, and exceedingly 
rejoiced the hearts of the Confederates along the banks of the river." 

In July, 1863, Lieutenant Dewey was with the 
gun-boat flotilla that engaged the Confederates below 
Donaldsonville, and in the spring of 1864. he was on 
duty at the Kittery Navy Yard, Portsmouth, N. H., 
and was attached to the North Atlantic blockading 
squadron on board the steam gun-boat Agawani, one 
of the fleet that made the two memorable attacks on 
Fort Fisher, N. C, in December, 1864, and January, 
1865, in the latter of which the fort was captured. 

He received his commission as lieutenant-com- 
mander, March 3, 1865, served on the Kearsarge as 
executive officer 1865-67 and on the flag-ship Colo- 
rado of the European squadron, 1867—68. In 1868 
he was assigned to duty at the Naval Academy, 
Annapolis, and in 1870. received his first command, 



536 American Naval Heroes. 

that of the Nai^ragansett, with which vessel he was 
detailed to special service receiving while on that 
duty, his commission as commander, and from 1872 to 
1875 having charge of tl\e Pacific survey. 

He was lighthouse inspector from 1875 to 1877; 
secretary of the lighthouse board, 1877-82, and 
commanded the Juniata of the Asiatic squadron, 
1882-84. He was promoted to the rank of captain in 
September, 1884, and commanded the Dolphin, one of 
the four new ships making up the original " white 
squadron." He commanded the Pensacola, flag-ship 
of the European squadron, 1885-88, and was chief of 
the bureau of equipment and recruiting, 1888-93 with 
the rank of commodore given him August i, 1889, 
and a member of the lighthouse board for a second 
time, 1893-96. 

He received his commission as commodore, Febru- 
ary 28, 1896, and at the same time was made president 
of the Board of Inspection and Survey at Washington, 
D. C, serving from i896-'98. On January i, 1898, 
he was placed in command of the Asiatic squad- 
ron, and after the battle of the Bay of Manila, May 
1-2, 1898, he was promoted to the rank of acting rear- 
admiral. May 12, 1898, and received the thanks of the 
President and the joint houses of Congress, May 10, 
1898. 

Commodore Dewey's fleet cruising in Asiatic 
waters in the spring of 1898, comprised the protected 
cruisers Olympia, Baltimore, Raleigh and Boston, and 



George Dewey. 537 

the gun-boats Concord and Petrel. The flag-ship 
Olympia, an unarmored steel protected cruiser of 5,870 
tons displacement — 21.6 knots speed, 17,313 horse- 
power, armed with four 8-inch breech-loading rifle guns 
as a main battery with a secondary battery of four- 
teen 6-pounders rapid fire, six i -pounder rapid firing 
cannon, and four Gatling guns, was built in 1891-92 
at a cost of $1,796,000 and was commanded by Captain 
C. V. Gridley. The Baltimore, an unarmored protected 
cruiser of 4,413 tons displacement, with a speed of 
20.09 knots, 10,064 horse-power, armed with four 8- 
inch and six 6-inch breech-loading rifles as a main bat- 
tery with a secondary battery of four 6-pounders rapid 
fire, five i -pounder rapid fire cannon, four thirty- 
seven to the minute Hotchkiss revolving cannon and 
two Gatling guns, was built in 1887-88 at a cost of 
$1,325,000 and was commanded by Captain N. M. Dyer. 
The protected cruiser Raleigh of 3,213 tons displace- 
ment, a speed of 19 knots, 10,000 horse-power, a main 
battery of ten 5-inch and one 6-inch rapid firing guns 
and a secondary battery of eight 6-pounders rapid fire, 
four I -pounder rapid fire cannon and two Gatling 
guns, was built in 1889-90, at a cost of $1,100,100 
and was commanded by J. B. Coghlan. The protected 
cruiser Boston of 3,000 tons displacement, a speed of 
18.6 knots, 4,030 horse-power, amain battery of six 6- 
inch and two 8-inch breech-loading rifles, a secondary 
battery of two 6-pounders and two 3-pounder rapid 
fire, two I -pounder rapid firing cannon and two Gatling 



538 American Naval Heroes. 

guns, was built in 1883-84 at a cost of $619,000, and 
was commanded by Captain Frank Wildes. The gun- 
boat Concord, 1,710 tons displacement, a speed of 16.8 
knots, 3,405 horse-power, a main battery of six 6-inch 
breech-loading rifles and a secondary battery of two 6- 
pounder rapid fire, two 3-pounder rapid fire guns, 
237 new Hotchkiss revolving cannon and two Catling 
guns, was built in 1888-89 at a cost of $490,000 and 
was commanded by Commodore Asa Walker. The 
gun-boat Petrel, 892 tons displacement, 1,095 horse- 
power with a main battery of four 6-inch breech-loading 
rifles and a secondary battery of one i -pounder rapid 
firing gun, 227 new Hotchkiss revolving cannon and 
five Catling guns, was built in 1887-88 at a cost of 
$247,000, and was in charge of Commander E. P. Wood. 

On Monday, April 25, 1898, Commodore Dewey 
received the news of the declaration of war between 
the United States and Spain, and a notice to quit 
British waters. He also received a telegraphic des- 
patch from the government at Washington, dated 
April 24, 1898, to proceed forthwith to the Philippine 
Islands, then to begin operations and engage the 
Spanish fleet. 

The fleet set sail for Manila on Wednesday, April 
27, at the fastest possible speed, and at eight o'clock 
Saturday night, April 30, arrived off the batteries at 
the entrance of Manila Bay. Commodore Dewey de- 
cided to enter the bay at once, and ordered all lights 
out and the guns manned. 





ik^rW I 



■Sis* 'TOii '"^ 



11 ^ ft 




George Dewey. 539 

Leading with the Olympia, followed by the Balti- 
?nore, the Raleigh, the Petrel, the Concord and the 
Boston, the squadron under a bright moonlight 
proceeded past Corregidor Island. This order was 
maintained during the entire engagement. 

When the flag-ship had reached a point one mile 
beyond the island, a heavy shot from a Spanish battery 
passed over the Raleigh and the Olympia, followed 
by a second shot which fell astern these vessels. The 
Raleigh was the first to reply, her shell going scream- 
ing into the heart of the Spanish battery where it 
exploded. The Concord and the Boston sent shells 
belching from their guns almost simultaneously with 
that of the Raleigh, and the battery was silenced. 

The fleet then diminished its speed and the men 
were allowed to sleep at their guns. By daylight the 
invading squadron was within five miles of Manila. 
In the distance toward Cavite, where there was a well 
equipped navy yard known as Cavite Arsenal, Dewey 
discovered the Spanish fleet under weigh and in the 
following order of battle : The protected cruiser Reina 
Christina of 3.500 tons displacement, the flag-ship of 
Admiral Montijo ; the protected cruiser Costilla of 
3,200 tons astern the port battery of the Reina 
Christina, and to the leeward the cruisers Don 
jfnna de Austria, Don Antonio de Ulloa^ Is la de Cuba, 
Is la de Luzon, El Correo, Marquis del Ducro, the 
Ge?ieral Lezo, Velasco, Isla de Mendanao and several 
smaller vessels, eleven in all, under protection of the 



540 



American Naval Heroes. 



fire of land forts. As the United States fleet steamed 
past the city of Manila with the Stars and Stripes flying 
from every masthead, three batteries mounting power- 
ful guns opened fire on the ships which were five 
miles off shore, and the shell fell beyond the ships. 
The Concoi'd responded to the fire with two shots. 

No more were fired and the fleet proceeded at an 
eight-knot rate of speed, Commodore Dewey not wish- 
ing to bombard the city without notice. Nearing the 
Spanish fleet, two mines planted off Cavite Point 




exploded ahead of the Oly^npia throwing up immense 
volumes of water but not harming the ships. This 
incident in no way deterred the purpose of the com- 
modore, and he kept on his way expecting rt any 
moment to be saluted by an explosion of other sub- 
marine mines. 

As they approached the enemy's fleet a shot from 
a shore battery off Cavite Point passed over the flag- 
ship and its force was not spent until it landed at the 
base of the battery in Manila. With this both the 
batteries and the Spanish fleet opened fire anJ they 



George Dewey. 



541 



soon got the range that landed their shot and shell in 
the midst of the United States fleet rendering the 
position extremely uncomfortable. 

The Olympia remained silent and only the throb 
of the engine and the whirr of the blowers could be 
heard. The other ships followed their gallant leader 
silently and sullenly. Commodore Dewey, Staff Com- 
mander Lamberton, Executive Officer Lieutenant Reco 
and Navigator Lieutenant Calkins were on the bridge 
forward, while Captain Gridley was in the conning 




tower by orders of Commodore Dewey, who deemed 
it inexpedient to risk losing all senior officers, by 
massing them on the bridge where a single shell might 
incapacitate them from duty. Reaching a point 5,000 
yards from the Spanish forts the commodore passed 
the order to Gridley : 

"You may fire when ready," and at 5.41 o'clock 
the starboard 8-inch gun of the forward turret of 
the Olympia effectively saluted the forts. Immediately 
there followed from the Baltimore and the Boston 
similar salutes accompanied by 250-pound shells 



542 American Naval Heroes. 

against the Castilla and the Reina Christina respec- 
tively. Early in the engagement two launches put 
out toward the Olynipia with the apparent intention of 
using torpedoes. One was sunk and the other disabled 
by the fire of the Olympia before an opportunity 
occurred to fire torpedoes. 

The Spanish had the range of the American fleet 
and they quickened their fire, and between the heavy 
guns of the forts and the rapid fire guns of the cruisers, 
the position was one requiring immediate action on 
the part of Commodore Dewey. As one large shell 
was coming straight for the bridge on which the com- 
modore and his officers stood it promised serious 
consequences but fortunately fell short of the gunner's 
aim by lOO feet, fragments cutting the rigging over 
the bridge, striking the gratings in line and boring a 
hole in the deck under the feet of the commodore. 
The Olympia kept on her way for the centre of the 
Spanish line and when within 4,000 yards of his mark 
he changed his course and ran parallel to the line of 
the Spanish column. 

The order came to the impatient gunners " Open 
with all guns," and as the port broadside was brought 
to bear upon the enemy the Olympia belched forth 
from her 5 -inch rapid fire guns such a storm as 
swept the deck of the Spanish cruisers. To this was 
added the compliments from all the 8-inch guns 
in her turrets as they were brought to bear upon the 
enemy's ships. The example was followed by the 



George Dewey. 543 

Ihjliimore, the Raleigh, the Petrel, the Concord and 
the Boston, and Cavite harbor was a hot place for 
the Spanish fleet, even protected as it was by the land 
batteries. 

The vessels of both fleets kept sailing back and 
forth, the smaller Spanish vessels keeping behind the 
Castilla. After making four runs along the Spanish 
line, Navigator Calkins asked leave to carry the Olym- 
pia nearer to the enemy and with men heaving the 
lead he brought her within 2,000 yards as she made 
her fifth course. This brought her 6-pounders in 
use and the storm of shell soon told on the enemy's 
ships. These were seen burning and their fire be- 
came less frequent. 

When this run was completed the commodore 
ordered breakfast as the men had already been at 
their guns two hours with only a cup of coffee. 
At 7.35 action temporarily ceased on the Olympta 
and as the other ships in turn passed the flag-ship the 
men cheered lustily. The entire fleet remained out 
of range until 10.50 o'clock. 

The commodore then gave the signal for close 
action and the Baltimore was given the place of honor 
in the lead, the Olyinpia following, and the others in 
order as before breakfast. The Baltimore opened at 
sixteen minutes past eleven at close range and displayed 
a target practice, every discharge a bull's eye. The 
enemy were slow and irregular in returning the fire and 
Dewey signalled the Raleigh, Boston, Concord and 



544 American Naval Heroes. 

Petrel to destroy the ships in the harbor. The 
Petrel approached within i,ooo yards and soon com- 
manded every Spanish flag then flying. The largest 
ships of Dewey's fleet were equally effective in their 
work and soon not a red and yellow flag was aloft save 
that on the battery up the coast. 

The Reina Christina was afire and soon sank. The 
Castilla was in as desperate condition and of the eleven 
ships the last to strike her colors was the Don Antonio de 
Ulloa which lurched and sank, and at 12.30 a white flag 
replaced the Spanish ensign on the arsenal staff. 

Dewey then signalled the Petrel, being of the 
lightest draft, to destroy all the enemy's vessels in the 
harbor and the Do7i Juan de Aiistria, the Marquis 
del Duero, the Isla de Cuba, the Velasco, the Ge7i- 
eral Lezo and the El Correo were set on fire by 
Lieutenant Hughes with an armed boat crew. The 
transport Manila and the tug-boats and smaller craft 
were captured. Dewey's orders from Washington 
had been " capture or destroy the Spanish squadron" 
and after seven hours in Manila harbor Spain's 
second largest naval fleet was as if it had not 
existed save for the terrible loss of Spanish life, while 
in carrying out the order, not one American life had 
been sacrificed. Such a victory had never before been 
recorded in history. The civilized world had another 
example of American valor and the hero history of 
the world had been enriched by the deeds of both 
victor and vanquished. 



George Dewey. 545 

Commodore Dewey closed his official report as 
follows: 

" I am unable to obtain complete accounts of the enemy's killed 
and wounded, but believe their losses to be very heavy. The Reina 
Christina alone had 150 killed, including the captain, and ninety 
wounded. I am happy to report that the damage done to the 
squadron under my command was inconsiderable. There were none 
killed and only seven men in the squadron very slightly wounded. 

" Several of the vessels were struck and even penetrated, but the 
damage was of the slighest, and the squadron is in as good condition 
now as before the battle. 

" 1 beg to state to the department that I doubt if any commander- 
in-chief was ever served by more loyal, efficient and gallant captains 
than those of the squadron now under my command. 

" Captain Frank Wildes, commanding the Boston, volunteered to 
remain in command of his vessel, although his relief arrived before 
leaving Hong Kong. Assistant Surgeon Kindleberger of the Olym- 
pia and Gunner J. C. Evans of the Boston also volunteered to re- 
main after orders detaching them had arrived. 

" The conduct of my personal staff was excellent. Commander 
B. P. Lamberton, chief-of-staflf, was a volunteer for that position, and 
gave me most efficient aid. Lieutenant Brumby, flag-lieutenant, and 
Ensign W. P. Scott, aide, performed their duties as signal officers in 
a highly creditable manner. 

" The Olympia being short of officers for the battery. Ensign H. 
H. Caldwell, flag-secretary, volunteered for and was assigned to a 
sub-division of 5-inch battery. Mr. J. E. Stickney, formerly an 
officer in the United States Navy and now correspondent for the 
New York Herald, volunteered for duty as my aide, and rendered 
valuable services. 

" I desire especially to mention the coolness of Lieutenant C. G. 
Calkins, the navigator of the Olympia, who came under my personal 
observation, being on the bridge with me throughout the entire 
action and giving the ranges to the guns with an accuracy that was 
proven by the excellency of the firing. On May 2, the day follow- 
ing the engagement, the squadron again went to Cavite, where it 
remains." 




William Thomas Sampson. 



WILLIAM THOMAS SAMPSON. 

"The commandiii"; officer of every vessel knew bis post and his duty in case 
of an attempt to escape, so that when that attempt came the movement to pre- 
vent it by the attack of our vessels upon the outcoming Spaniards went on like 
clock-work as like at Chattanooga every movement of that great battle was 
carried out, although General Grant was neither at Missionary Kidge nor Look- 
out Mountain." — Sccretar-y I.ojtg. 

The commander-in-chief of the United States Naval 
forces operating- in the North Atlantic against the 
navy of Spain in 1S98, was born in Palmyra, Wayne 
County, N. Y., February 9, 1840. His father, George 
Sampson, was a day laborer and as a boy William 
accompanied him on tramps from one farm house to 
another and helped him to split and pile wood and to 
do other chores for the neighbors. He was a bright 
boy and managed to attend the public schools at 
intervals. He made a friend of Squire Southwick of 
Palmyra, who upon learning that Representive E. B. 
Morgan of Aurora, had a right to appoint a naval cadet 
to the Academy at Annapolis, went to the congress- 
man and asked him to appoint young Sampson which 
he did. He went to Annapolis in 1857, and was 
graduated in 1S61. and attached to the United States 
frigate Polo}nai\ with the rank of master. He won his 
promotion as lieutenant by good conduct and close 
observance to duty and was commissioned July 16, 
1862. He served on the practice ship JoJui Adams, 



548 American Naval Heroes. 

at the naval academy, on the iron-clad Pataspco of the 
South Atlantic blockading squadron, and on the United 
States steam frigate Colorado, flag-ship of the Euro- 
pean squadron. He was executive oflficer of the 
Patapsco off Charleston harbor, when on January 16, 
1865, the admiral of the fleet ordered that vessel to 
enter the harbor, search for hidden mines and torpe- 
does and take them up or destroy them preparatory to 
a general attack on the forts and city. Lieutenant 
Sampson was on the bridge of the Patapsco as she 
came under the fire of the forts and shore batteries 
and despite the terrific iron hail he maintained his post 
on the bridge, but ordered the sailors and marines 
behind the protection iron of the lower deck. 

At this moment the firing ceased with ill-boding 
suddenness. He had hardly time to discern the cause 
when the iron-clad went up into the air from the con- 
cussion of an enormous torpedo which had exploded 
directly under her. With his ship the executive offi- 
cer went up and was thrown one hundred feet away 
from the wreck into the sea. He saw his companions 
struggling in the trough made by the sinking of the 
iron mass, and more than seventy had been torn to 
pieces by the explosion. The survivors were rescued 
by the boats that came to their aid, and the next day 
Lieutenant Sampson was ready for duty none the 
worse for his experience. He was commissioned lieu- 
tenant-commander, July 25, 1866 ; commander, August 
9, 1872, and captain, March 26. 1889. 



William T/io?nas Sampson. 549 

In 1880 he was given command of the Swatara of 
the Asiatic squadron. He was assistant superinten- 
dent of the United States Naval Observatory, 1882-83, 
and superintendent of the United States Naval Acad- 
emy, 1886-93. He was chief of the bureau of 
ordnance, 1893-97, ^^^^ commanded the Iowa, 1897- 
'98. He was appointed acting rear-admiral in May, 
1898, and given command of the North Atlantic fleet 
operating in Cuban waters. He destroyed the Span- 
ish fleet of Admiral Cervera off Santiago, July 3, 1898, 
and the secretary of the navy in answer to a news- 
paper correspondent, defended his action as follows : — 

Navy Deparimeni-, 
Washington, D. C, Aug. 8, 1898. 

My Dear Sir : — I am in receipt of your letter and hasten to as- 
sure you that what you say about Admiral Sampson is so unjust that 
it can only be pardoned on the ground of your ignorance of the 
whole matter. 

You have no appreciation of the responsibihties that have been 
upon Admiral Sampson, of his very superior attainments as an officer, 
and the splendid work he has done in preparing for the naval victory 
which was the crowning accomplishment of his efforts for weeks and 
weeks before Santiago. 

Justice is always done in the long run. But when you indulge in 
such unfounded criticism, I cannot forbear to protest, as I should 
feel bound to do if you had referred in similar terms to any other 
of our deserving officers. 

First — Admiral Sampson was selected for the command of the 
North Atlantic squadron because the department, in the exercise of 
its best judgment, with an eye single to the public interests, believed 
that he was especially fitted for the place. 

Admiral Sicard, who held the command, having become incapaci- 
tated for duty by reason of sickness, was necessarily withdrawn by 
order of the department, and Sampson was next in command. 

The two are especially accomplished ordnance officers, havmg 
been each at the head of the ordnance bureau and having devoted 



550 American Naval Heroes. 

themselves to that branch of naval science. Sampson is a man of 
the very highest professional attainments, solely devoted to his duty. 
He never pushes himself forward, and when you accuse him of any- 
thing of that sort you do most cruel injustice to a man who has 
never sought favor or applause in any other way than by the simple 
discharge of his duty. 

Second — The movement on Porto Rico was not a movement for 
its capture. The department, which has very rarely interfered with 
the movements of admirals commanding squadrons, did, however, 
make one express order and that was that our battleships should not 
be exposed to the risk of serious injury from the fire of any fort. 

At that time the Spanish fleet was strong. Its whereabouts and 
destination were unknown. The primal necessity was to meet and 
crush its ships and to secure for us the domination of the sea. 

The Oregon had not arrived, the Maine was destroyed, and no 
naval authority would justify the unnecessary risk of the destruction 
of any of our battleships except in battle with the enemy's ships. 

The movement to Porto Rico was to meet, if possible, the fleet 
of Cervera, which was then expected. Cervera, undoubtedly learn- 
ing that our fleet was at San Juan, changed his destination to San- 
tiago. Our movement to Porto Rico thus became reconnoissance 
and fulfilled its purpose. There was no intention at the time of 
taking Porto Rico as the army was not there to co-operate. 

Third — With regard to sending our ships into the harbor of San- 
tiago : Admiral Sampson was acting under the explicit orders of the 
department not to expose his armored ships to the risk of sinking 
by mmes, and the wisdom of the course, I believe, is universally 
acknowledged by naval authorities. 

He waited, as he should have done, the co-operation of the 
army. How effectually under this co-operation the result was 
accomplished is now a matter of history. There are few more 
graphic scenes than must have been presented at 4 o'clock on 
the afternoon of the 4th of July, when Shaffer, with his troops 
ready to assault Santiago, awaited the reply of the Spanish com- 
mander to the demand for surrender. 

Sampson's fleet was at the mouth of the harbor, drawn up in 
line and ready to bombard, as it had been for days previous, 
and the signal officer stood on the heights ready to wig-wag the 
signal for firing. Happily, instead of this signal came the good 
word that the Spanish had surrendered to this combined readiness 
for attack. 



JJ^iI/iain TJionias Sampson. 551 

Fourth — Please bear in mind the variety and weight of the re- 
sponsibihties which were upon Admiral Sampson for the month 
prior to the great battle which destroyed Cervera's fleet. He was 
commanding officer of the whole squadron ; charged with the 
blockade of the whole Cuban coast ; charged with the detail of all 
the movements of ships ; charged with clerical correspondence 
with the department and other officers especally charged with pre- 
venting the escape of Cervera. 

Remember that this man, whom you so sweepingly accuse, was 
devoting his days and nights to these duties. If you will read the 
orders issued by him, beginning with June i, you will find that the 
most thorough precautions had been taken to prevent the escape of 
Cervera ; that our fleet was kept constantly in line, so far from the 
entrance by night and so far by day ; that the most rigid care with 
search-lights and every other appliance was taken every night that 
the commanding officer of every vessel knew his post and his duty 
in case of an attempt to escape, so that when that attempt came 
the movement to prevent it, by the attack of our vessels upon the 
outcoming Spaniards, went on Uke clock-work as at Chattanooga, 
every movement of that great battle was carried out, although Gen- 
eral Grant was neither at Missionary Ridge nor Lookout Mountain. 

I can well understand why. the friends of other officers should 
be so enthusiastic and earnest as I am in giving them the credit 
they so richly, every one of them, deserve for their glorious work. 
I cannot conceive of anybody so mean as to detract by a single 
hair from their merit. 

But I cannot understand why such a bitter feeling is mani- 
fested in many quarters toward Admiral Sampson, when all these 
officers subordinate to him, in their reports, clearly and cordially 
recognize the fact that, although at the beginning he was, by orders 
from Washington, going to confer with General Shafter, yet the 
battle was fought under his orders, and that the victory was the 
consummation of his thorough preparations. 

For myself, I know of no predilection for any one of these gallant 
men. I would crown every one of them with laurels. I want them 
all to have their just deserts. Every one of them deserves unstinted 
praise ; not one of them deserves any less than a full measure for 
that day's work, and" therefore, I can think of nothing more cruel 
than a depreciation of the merit of the faithful, devoted, patriotic 
commander-in-chief, physically frail, worn with sleepless vigil 



55- American Naval Heroes. 

weighed with measureless responsibiUty and details, letting no duty 
go undone ; for weeks with ceaseless precautions, blockading the 
Spanish squadron, at last, by the untiring fulfilment of his plans, 
crushing it under the fleet which executed his command, yet now 
compelled in dignified silence to be assailed as vindictively as if he 
were an enemy. 

I am sure that no one deprecates such an attack more than the 
officers of the fleet, commodore, captains and all. Among them all 
is peace ; whatever disquiet there may be elsewhere, the navy is 
serene. I am reminded of Harriet Beecher Stowe's beautiful verse : 

" Far, far beneath, the noise of tempests dieth 
And silver waves chime ever peacefully; 
And no rude storm, how fierce so e'er it flieth, 
Disturbs the Sabbath of that deeper sea," 

Truly yours, 

(Signed) John D. Long. 



LI. 



WINFIELD SCOTT SCHLEY. 

"Resolved: — That the thanks of Congress and the American people are 
hereby tendered to Commodore Winfield S. Schley of the United States Naval 
force operating against the Spanish force in Cuban waters, for highly distin- 
guished conduct in conflict with the enemy, as displayed by him in the destruction 
of the Spanish fleet off the harbor of Santiago, Cuba, July 3, 1898." — Resolution 
passed by the United States Senate, July, iSgS. 

Winfield Scott Schley was born at Richfield Farm, 
in Frederick County, Md., October 9, 1839, son of 
John Thomas and Virginia (McClure) Schley, grandson 
of John Thomas Schley, and great-grandson of John 
Thomas Schley, who came to America from Germany 
in 1745, went first to Pennsylvania and finally made 
his home in what became the town of Frederick, Md., 
and built the first house erected in that place. He 
came into possession of 300 acres of land a few miles 
from Frederick, below the Monocacy and Tuscarora 
rivers, and his son Thomas built a large old-time 
Maryland house on the estate. In this house the 
future admiral of the United States Navy was born. 

His father was an intimate friend of General Win- 
field Scott, and the great soldier was a guest at Schley's 
house when the son was born, and the host named 
him for the euest. He was educated with his two 
brothers, Eugene and Arthur, at St. John's Catholic 




//infield Scott Schley. 



Winfield Scott Schley. 555 

school, although their parents were Protestants. He 
was appointed to the United States Naval Academy 
by Representative Huffman, and was graduated in 
i860. He was attached to the frigates Niagara and 
Potomac, then to the gun-boat Winona and the sloops 
Monongahcla and RicJimond, and saw service at the 
capture of Fort Hudson on board the Potomac. He 
was promoted lieutenant, July 16, 1862, and as lieu- 
tenant-commander was given command of the United 
States gun-boat Wateree in the Pacific squadron. He 
was attached to the Asiatic squadron in 1S71. and 
took part in the capture of the Corian forts on the 
Salee river. He was promoted commander in 1874, 
and was stationed at the Naval Academy, 1874-76. 

He sailed in the Essex on the Brazil station, 1876 
-'79, and was lighthouse inspector, 1880-83. He 
headed the Greely relief expedition of 1884, and during 
this expedition his ship passed through i ,400 miles of 
ice and brought the rescued party back from Sabine, 
Grinnell Land. Had he been delayed twenty-four 
hours the fi\e survivors would have perished. This 
exploit made Commander Schley's name known 
throughout the civilized world. His services were 
recognized by the government at Washington, and he 
was placed in charge of the Bureau of Equipment. 

He received his commission as captain, March 30, 
t888, and when the protected cruiser Baltimore was 
launched, Captain Schley resigned as chief of the 
Bureau of Equipment, and was placed in command of 



556 ATnerican Naval Heroes. 

the new ship. He carried the body of John Ericsson, 
the builder of the Monitor, the httle iron-clad that 
vanquished the Mcrrimac in Hampton Roads, back to 
the native land of the great inventor and patriot, and 
the Swedish people feted and honored him as the 
Commander of the Baltimore and the representative 
of the United States Navy. In 1891 he was ordered 
with the Balti7?iore to Valparaiso, Chili, at the outbreak 
of hostilities between that country and Peru, and his 
manly bearing through these tr\ing times which f 
followed the fight on shore, October 19, 1861, between 
Chilian and American sailors, in which one Yankee 
blue-jacket was killed and five others badly hurt, won 
for him the admiration of the country as a true 
American sailor. 

He was promoted to the rank of commodore, and 
placed in command of the North Atlantic tlying squad- 
ron at the outbreak of the war with Spain early in 1898, 
his mission being to watch the approach of the Spanish 
navy and guard the cities of the Atlantic coast against 
threatened bombardment. 

Following is Commodore Schle)''s report on the 
destruction of Cervera's ileet, made to Rear-Admiral 
Sampson, and transmitted by the latter to the Navy 
Department : 

North Atlantic Fleet, Second Squadrox, 
U. S. Flag-ship Bpooklvn. 
GuANTANAMO Bay, Cuba, July 6, 1898. 
Sir— I have the honor to make the following report of that 
part of the squadron under your command which came under my 



U'lnjicld Scott Schley. ' 557 

observation during the engagement with the Spanish fleet on July 3, 
1898. At 9.35 a. m., Admiral Cervera, with the Infanta Maria 
Teresa, Vizcaya, Oquendo, Christohal Colon and two torpedo-boat 
destroyers, came out of the harbor of Santiago de Cuba in column, 
at distance, and attempted to escape to the westward. Signal was 
made from the Iowa that the enemy was coming out, but his move- 
ment had been discovered from this ship at the same moment. 

This vessel was the farthest west, except the VLxen, on the 
blockading line. Signal was made to the western division, as pre- 
scribed in your general orders, and there was immediate and rapid 
movement inward by your squadron and a general engagement at 
ranges beginning at 1,100 yards and varying to 3,000, until the 
Vizcaya was destroyed about 10.50 a. m. The concentration of 
the fire of the squadron upon the ships coming out was most furious 
and terrific, and great damage was done them. About twenty or 
twenty-five minutes after the engagement began, two vessels, thought 
to be the Maria Teresa and Oqnefido, and since verified as such, 
took fire from the effecdve shelling of the squadron and were forced 
to run on the beach some six or seven miles west of the harbor 
entrance, where they burned and blew up later. The torpedo-boat 
destroyers were destroyed early in the action, but the smoke was 
so dense in their direction that I cannot say to which vessel or ves- 
sels the credit belongs. This doubtless was better seen from your 
flag-ship. 

The Vizcaya and Colon, perceiving the disaster to their con- 
sorts, continued at full speed to the westward to escape, and were 
followed and engaged in a running fight with the Brooklyn, Texas, 
loiva and Oregon until 10.50, when the Vizcaya took fire from our 
shells. She put her helm to port, and, with a heavy list to port, 
stood in shore and ran aground at Ascerraderos, about twenty miles 
west of Santiago, on fire fore and aft, and where she blew up during 
the night. Observing that she had struck her colors, and that several 
vessels were nearing her to capture and save her crew, signal was 
made to cease firing. The Oregon having proved vastly faster than 
the other battleships, she and the Brooklyn, together with the Texas 
and another vessel, which proved to be your flag-ship, continued 
westward in pursuit of the Colon, which had run close in shore, evi- 
dently seeking some good spot to beach if she should fail to elude 
her pursuers. This pursuit continued with increasing speed in the 
Brooklyn, Oregon and other ships, and soon the Brooklyn and the 
Oregon were within long range of the Colon, when the Oregon 



560 American Naval Heroes. 

your command, and I am glad that I had an opportunity to con- 
tribute in the least to a victory that seems big enough for all of us. 

Since reaching this place and holding conversation with several 
of the captains, viz., Captain Eulate of the Vizcaya, and Commander 
Contreras, the second in command of the Colo?i, I have learned that 
the Spanish admiral's scheme was to concentrate all fire for awhile 
on the Brooklyn, and the Vizcaya to ram her, in hopes, if they could . 
destroy her, the chance of escape would be increased, as it was sup- 
posed she was the swiftest ship of your squadron. This explains 
the heavy fire mentioned and the Vizcaya's action in the earlier 
moments of the engagement. The execution of this purpose was 
promptly defeated by the fact that all the ships of the squadron 
advanced into close range and opened an irresistably furious and 
terrific fire upon the enemy's squadron as it was coming out of the 
harbor. I am glad to say that the injury supposed to be below the 
water line was due to a water- valve being opened from some unknown 
cause, and flooding the compartment. The injury to the belt is 
found to be only slight and the leak small. 

I cannot close this report without mentioning in high terms of 
praise the splendid conduct and support of Captain C. E. Clark of 
the Oregon. Her speed was wonderful, and her accurate fire splen- 
didly destructive. 

Very respectfully, 

W. S. SCHLEV. 

Commodore United States Navy, commanding second squadron 
North Atlantic fleet. 



LII. 

ROBLEY DUNGLISON EVANS. 
" Fkihtinc; Boh Evans.'' 

The commander of the Jozua in the battle of San- 
tiago Bay, was born in Floyd County, Va., August 
1 8, 1846. He was entered a naval cadet in May, 
1S59; was graduated at Annapolis, in May, 1863 ; was 
promoted ensign, October i, 1863; master, May 10. 
1866; lieutenant, July 25, 1866; lieutenant-commander 
March 12, 1868; commander, July 12, 1878; and cap- 
tain, June 27, 1893. 

He was on board the frigate Powhatan, i863-'64; 
in the North Atlantic squadron in 1864-65 ; was 
wounded in the engagement at Fort Fisher in January, 
1865, and was retired from active service. 

Upon his recovery he was restored to the active 
list at his own request and sailed for China in 1866 
on the Delaware, the flag-ship of Vice- Admiral Rowan. 
On returning home he was on ordnance duty and was 
stationed at Annapolis, 1870-72. 

He was navigator of the Shenandoah in the Medi- 
terranean squadron i872-'74; and w.as executive offi- 
cer of the Co7igress in the Mediterranean squadron, 
1874-76. 

56. 



562 American Naval Heroes. 

He was ordered home to attend the inauguration 
of the Centennial Exposition of Philadelphia, 1876; 
commanded the training ship Saratoga, 1876-80 ; and 
was equipment officer at the Washington Navy Yard, 
i88o-'8i. As a member of the first advisory board, 
offered the resolution by which steel was adopted 
as the material for the construction of all future war 
vessels built by the United States. He was chief 
inspector of steel and organized the scheme for the 
inspection of all material going in to new war ships, 
in 1887. He superintended the construction of the 
battleship Maine, 1888-89. 

In 1889 he obtained leave of absence and erected 
a sulphite fibre mill at Appleton, Wis. He was in 
command of the Bering Sea fleet, and in 1894 was 
assigned to the cruiser A''^zty Yo7'k. On November 20, 
1895, he was placed in command of the battleship 
Indiana and superintended the completion of that 
vessel, and in March 25, 1898, was assigned to com- 
mand the battleship Iowa. He took an important part 
in the blockade of the Cuban ports ; in the search for 
Cervera's fleet; and in its final destruction, July 3, 1898. 
His official report of that exploit as he saw it is given 
as showing the part he took in the engagement. 

U. S. S. Iowa (First Rate), 
Off Santiago de Cuha, July 4, 1898. 

Sir : — I have the honor to make the following report of the 
engagement with the Spanish squadron off Santiago de Cuba on the 
3d of July : On the morning of the 3d, while the crew was at 
quarters for Sunday inspection, the leading vessel of the Spanish 



Robley Dunglisofi Evans. 563 

s([uadron was sighted at 9.30 coming out of the harbor of Santiago 
de Cuba. Signal " Enemy's coming out," was immediately hoisted, 
and a gun fired to attract attention. The call to general quarters 
was sounded immediately, the battery made ready for firing and the 
engines rung full speed ahead. The position of this vessel at the 
time of sighting the squadron was the usual blocking station off the 
entrance of the harbor, Morro Castle bearing about north, and dis- 
tant about three to four miles. The steam at this time in the 
boilers was sufficient for a speed of five knots. After sighting the 
leading vessel, the Infanta Maria Teresa, Admiral Cervera's flag- 
ship, it was observed that she was followed in succession by the 
remaining three vessels of the Spanish squadron, the Vizcaya, Chris- 
tohal Colon and Almirante Oquendo. The Spanish ships moved at 
a speed of about eight to ten knots, which was steadily increased as 
ihey cleared the harbor entrance and stood to the westward. They 
maintained a distance of about eight hundred yards between vessels. 
The squadron moved with precision, and stations were well kept. 

Immediately upon sighting the leading vessel, fires were spread, 
and the loiva headed toward the leading Spanish ship. About 9.40 
the first shot was fired from this ship at a distance of about 6,000 
yards. The course of this vessel was so laid that the range speedily 
iliminished. A number of shots were fired at ranges varying be- 
tween 6,000 and 4,000 yards. The range was rapidly reduced to 
2,500 yards, and subsequently to 2,000 and to 1,500 yards. When 
it was certain that the Maria Teresa would pass ahead of us, the 
helm was put to starboard, and the starboard broadsides delivered 
at a range of 2,500 yards. The helm was then put to port, and the 
ship headed across the bow of the second ship, and as she drew 
ahead the helm was again put to starboard, and she received in turn 
the full weight of our starboard broadside at a range of 1,800 yards. 
The loiiia was again headed ofif with port helm for the third ship, 
and as she approached, the helm was put to the starboard until our 
course was approximately that of the Spanish ship. In this position, 
at a range of 1,400 yards, the fire of the entire battery, including 
rapid-fire guns, was poured into the enemy's ship. 

About ten o'clock the enemy's torpedo-boat destroyers Furo 
and Pluton were observed to have left the harbor and to be follow- 
ing the Spanish squadron. At the. time that they were observed? 
and in fact, most of the time that they were under fire, they were at 
a distance varying from 4,500 to 4,000 yards. As soon as they were 
discovered the secondary battery of this ship was turned upon them. 



564 American Naval Heroes. 

while the main battery continued to engage the Vizcaya, Oquendo, 
and Maria Teresa. The fire of the main battery of this ship, 
when the range was below 2,500 yards, was most effective and 
destructive, and after a continuance of this fire for perhaps twenty 
minutes, it was noticed that the Maria Teresa and Oqiiendo were 
in flames, and were being headed for the beach. Their colors were 
struck about 10.20, and they were beached about eight miles west 
of Santiago. About the same time (about 10.25) the fire of this 
vessel, together with that of the Gloucester and another smaller 
vessel, proved so destructive that one of the torpedo-boat destroyers 
(the Pillion^ was sunk, and the Furor was so much damaged that 
she was run upon the rocks. 

After having passed, at 10.35, '^he Oquendo and Maria Teresa, 
4 on fire and ashore, this vessel continued to chase and fire upon the 

Vizcaya until 10.36, when signal to cease firing was sounded on 
board, it having been discovered that the Vizcaya had struck her 
colors. At eleven o'clock the Iowa arrived in the vicinity of the 
Vizcaya, which had been run ashore, and as it was evident that she 
could not catch the Christobal Colon, and that the Oregon, Brook- 
lyn and New York would, two steam cutters and three cutters were 
immediately hoisted out and sent to the Vizcaya to rescue her crew. 
Our boats succeeded in bringing off a large number of officers and 
men of that ship's company, and in placing many of them on board 
the torpedo-boat Ericsson and the auxiliary dispatch vessel Hist. 
About 11.30 the New K?/-/^ passed, in chase of the Christobal Colon, 
which was endeavoring to escape from the Oregon, Brooklyn and 
Texas. 

We received on board this vessel from the Vizcaya, Captain 
Eulate, the commanding officer, and twenty-three officers, together 
with about two hundred and forty-eight petty officers and men, of 
whom thirty-two were wounded. There were also received on 
board five dead bodies, which were immediately buried with the 
honors due to their grade. The battery behaved well in all 
respects. The dash pot of the forward twelve-inch gun, damaged 
in the engagement of the 2nd, having been replaced the same day by 
one of the old dash pots, gave no trouble during the engagement. 
I give an approximate statement of the ammunition expended during 
the engagement. A more exact statement cannot be given at this 
time. 

This ship was struck in the hull on the starboard side, during 
the early part of the engagement, by two projectiles of about six 



Rob ley Dunglison Evans. 565 

inch calibre, one striking the hull two or three feet above the actual 
waterline, and almost tlirectly on the line of the berth deck, pierc- 
ing the ship's sides between frames nine and ten, and the other 
piercing the side and the coffer-dam. The first projectile did not 
pass beyond the inner bulkhead of the coffer-dam. The hole made 
by it was large and ragged, being sixteen inches in a longitudinal 
direction and about seven inches in a vertical direction. It struck 
with a slight inclination aft, and perforated the coffer-dam partition 
bulkhead. It did not explode, and remained in the coffer-dam. 
The second projectile pierced the side of the ship and the coffer- 
dam, the upper edge of the hole being immediately below the top 
of the coffer-dam on the berth deck. The projectile broke off the 
hatch plate, and exploded and perforated the walls of the chain 
locker. The explosion created a small fire which was promptly 
extinguished. The hole in the side made by this projectile was 
about five feet above the waterline and about two or three feet 
above the berth deck. One fragment of this shell struck a link of 
the sheet chain, wound around the 6-pounder ammunition hoist, 
cutting the link in two. Another perforated the coffer-dam on the 
port side and slightly dished the outside plating. These two 
wounds, fortunately, were not of serious importance. Two or three 
other projectiles of small calibre struck about the upper bridge and 
smokestack, inflicting trifling damage, and four other small projec- 
tiles struck the hammock nettings and the side aft. There are no 
casualties among the ship's company to report. No officer or man 
was injured during the engagement. 

After having received on board the rescued crew of the Vizcaya, 
this vessel proceeded to the eastward and resumed the blockading 
station, in obedience to the signal made by the commander-in-chief, 
about 1 1 .30. Upon arriving at the blockading station, the Gloucester 
transferred to this vessel Rear-Admiral Cervera, his flag-lieutenant 
and the commanding officers of the torpedo-boat destroyers. Furor 
and Pluton, and also one of the 0(}uendd' s crew rescued by the 
Gloucester. 

Naval-cadets, Frank Taylor Evans and John E. Lewis, and five 
men belonging to the Massachusetts, were on board the Iowa, when 
the enemy's ship came out. They were stationed at different points 
and rendered effective service. The officers and men of this ship 
behaved admirably. No set of men could have done more gallant 
service. I take pleasure in stating to you, sir, that the coolness and 
judgment of the executive officer, Lieutenant-Commander Raymond 



566 American Naval Heroes. 

P. Rodgers, deserves, and will, I hope, receive a proper reward at 
the hands of the government. The rest of all the executive officer's 
work is the conduct of ship and crew in battle. In this case it was 
simply superb. The coolness of the navigator, Lieutenant W. H. 
Schuetze, and of Lieutenant F. K. Hill, in charge of the rapid-fire 
guns on the upper deck, are worthy of the highest commendation. 
Other officers of the ship did not come under my personal observa- 
tion, but the result of the action shows how well they did their duty. 
I cannot express my admiration for my magnificent crew. So long 
as the enemy showed his flag, they fought like American seamen, 
but when the flag came down they were as gentle and tender as 
American women. 

In conclusion, sir, allow me to congratulate you on the complete 
victory achieved by our fleet. 

Very respectfully, 

R. D. Evans. 
Captain, United States Navy, Commanding. 



LIII. 



RICHARD WAINWRIGHT. 

"As commander Wainwright from the deck of the Clouci'ster looked at 
Cervera's shattered and burning torpedo boats he cried out, ' The Maii7e is 
avenged !' " — Press Dispatch, Jtily lo^ i8g8. 

Lieu tenant- Commander Richard Wainwright, was 
born in the District of Columbia, the son of Captain 
Richard Wainwright, U. S. N., who died at New Orleans, 
La., August lo, 1862, while in command of the United 
States sloop-of-war Hartford. He was appointed mid- 
shipman, as the son of an officer, September 28, 1864 ; 
was promoted to ensign, April 16, 1869; to master, 
July 12, 1870; to lieutenant, September 25, 1873; and 
to lieutenant-commander, September 16, 1894. On 
December 8, 1897, he was assigned to the battle-ship 
Maine and was executive officer of that vessel when 
she was destroyed in Havana harbor by the explosion 
of a submarine mine. 

On the fateful night of February 15, 1898, Execu- 
tive Officer Wainwright was the last man to leave the 
torn and battered wreck, and then not until he had 
secured the halyards that held the Stars and Stripes at 
half-mast over the coffin of 266 officers, sailors and 
marines who went down to their death through the 
treachery of an apparently friendly power. He was^ 

567 



Richard Waijiwrighi. 56c) 

th(^ last siirvivinpf officer of the Maine left in Havana 
harbor and for weeks conducted a weary search for the 
dead bodies of his shipmates. On April 5, 1898, after 
pulling down the flag- that had been half-masted day 
and night for nearly two months, from the shrouds of 
the wrecked battleship, he resigned the iron hulk into 
the hands of Spain. Soon afterward he reported to 
Secretary Long at Washington, D. C. When asked 
b\' a fellow officer what position he wanted in case of 
war with Spain, which he prophesied, he replied, "As 
a lieutenant-commander only, I know I cannot expect 
a separate command of great importance, but I'd like 
to get a good little vessel with some capable guns and 
then I'd like to get a crack at the enemy on something 
like even terms." His wish was fulfilled, and his own 
story of how he helped to avenge the Maine is here 
given. 

Shortly after the outbreak of hostilities Wain- 
wright was put in charge of Commodore Morgan's 
yacht, the Corsair. It had been bought by the gov- 
ernment, renamed the Gloucester, and fitted as an aux- 
iliar)' vessel, being given a miniature battery of four 
6-pounders,. four 3-pounders and two Colt automatic 
rilles. Four of the officers were regulars and five 
volunteers. Her crew numbered ninety-three men. 

The Gloucester was ordered to join Admiral Samp- 
son's fleet, and proceeded via Key West and Uanes to 
Santiago. When blockading off Santiago her station 
was on the eastern end of the line and inshore of all 



570 Aniericaji Naval Heroes. 

the vessels, being off Aguadores in the day time and 
off the Morro during the night. 

Sunday morning, July 3, she was in her usual 
station. This was the day when Cevera sailed out of 
Santiago harbor. Wainwright takes up his own stor) 
thus : 

"The fleet opened fire at once on the Maria Teresa. VVe were 
heading out and commenced firing with our after guns. Our helm 
was put hard a-port, so that we turned toward the Indiana and in 
the direction taken by the enemy, and was kept a-port until we were 
heading at right angles to their column. We were in every way 
prepared for our work, the men being at quarters, with plenty of 
ammunition on deck, except for the time required to attain full 
speed. 

" As soon as the enemy were sighted, orders were given to start 
the blowers, and we were soon under a full head of steam. 

"The enemy soon developed their tactics, such as they were. 
They evidently expected to take advantage of their high speed and 
escape past the western end of our fleet before we could destroy 
them. 

" We of the Gloucester closed in toward the enemy, firing such 
guns as we could bring to bear. We were near the Indiana and 
anxiously looking for the destroyers. They were not very far be- 
hind the armored cruisers, but the time appeared long as we slowed 
down to wait for them. 

" As soon as the Pluton and Furor made their appearance our 
duty was plain — we must prevent them from attacking one of our 
battle ships. We started ahead at full speed and gradually closed 
in on them, firing as rapidly as possible. About this time we made 
out a signal from the Indiana to read : 

'Gunboats, close in.' 

" I have since heard that Captain Taylor intended to signal 
'Torpedo boats coming out.' To close in on the torpedo boats 
required us to cross the Indiana' s line of fire, and as she was pour- 
ing in shell from her secondary battery, we were glad to feel secure 
that she would stop as we crossed her line. 

" As we drew closer to the destroyers their fire became quite 
warm, and their projectiles and those from the forts appeared to hit 



Richard IVainwright. 571 

all around us, and when their Maxim i -pounder started into play- 
it seemed almost impossible for them to fail to hit us. 

" But not a shot struck us, and there were men blown away from 
their guns before they got our range. When we were distant about 
twelve hundred yards we opened fire with our two 6-milhmetre 
automatic Colt rifles. They poured a shower of bullets onto the 
decks of the destroyers and did great execution. 

" As we gathered speed we closed in on the Pluton and the 
Furor rapidly. Although built for twenty-eight and thirty knots, 
our seventeen knots good was too much for them. The Pluton soon 
began to slacken and then she stopped in the breakers. At this, 
time the Indiana was rounding the point ahead to the westward and 
the Netu York was coming up rapidly from the direction of Siboney. 

" When it was evident that the Pluton was done for we concen- 
trated our fire on the Furor and every shot appeared to take effect. 
Suddenly she jammed her helm hard a-starboard and made for us. 
It was evident that as our guns were too much for her she was going 
to try a torpedo. One of our prisoners told us after the battle that 
they made several attempts to fire a torpedo, but the crews were 
driven from the tubes by our own fire. 

"With her helm still a-starboard, the Furor \.\xxwtA toward the en- 
trance of the harbor, and the New York, having approached until 
she was engaged with the principal shore batteries, fired two or 
three shots at her, fearing she might escape. But the Furor's helm 
was jammed and she continued to circle to port, so the New York, 
her crew cheering, continued under full steam after the escaping 
cruisers. 

" The /y/^/<7« had blown up and was on the rocks. The Furor 
was on fire, her helm jammed and unable to continue the fight. We 
had been doing our best to destroy life ; now had come the time 
when we could commence to save the lives of our conquered ene- 
mies. The Socapa battery was firing at us still, and when we 
stopped, the shells began to fall pretty close to us ; but as soon as 
our boats were lowered they ceased firing." 

"The boats brought off every one who was alive on the burning 
wrecks of the Pluton and the Furor, and also rescued those in the 
water and on the rocks. The trouble in getting the Spaniards off 
the rocks was especially great, as they refused to jump into the 
water, and in some cases it was necessary to throw them in and 
then pull them into the boat. 



572 America7i Naval Heroes. 

" The complement of the Furor vizs, sixty-seven and of the Pliiton 
seventy men. Of these nineteen were saved from the former and 
twenty-six from the latter. But it is known that a few swam ashore 
and managed to reach Santiago. 

" Meanwhile the Gloucester itself had steamed on to where the 
Infanta Maria Teresa and the Almirante Oquendo were lying, 
wrecked and burning on the shore. Each had white flags flying. 
They were burning fore and aft ; their guns and reserve ammunition 
were exploding, and it was not known at what moment the fire 
would reach the main magazines. Moreover, a heavy sea was run- 
ning just inside of the Spanish ships. But no danger and no difiti- 
culty deterred the officers and men of the Gloucester until, in two 
small boats and a dingy, they had rescued all the survivors, includ- 
ing the wounded from the two burnmg ships." 

Among- the saved was Admiral Cervera himself. 
Of the chivalrous courtesy with which Wainwright 
received him when he came aboard the Gloiuestei^, a 
broken hearted prisoner of war, Wainwright himself, 
of course, says nothing. 



LIV 



RICHMOND PEARSON HOBSON. 

"The act of Lieutenant Hohson has few if any equals in the history of the 
world. At Manila the act of Commodore Dewey was brave, but he entered 
a hostile harbor able to give '.hot for shot, to beat down his assailants, to triumph 
by the force of his arms. Lieutenant Hobson and his heroic crew not only went 
with the Merrimac into the range of an awful fire unable to reply, but with the 
interior of their vessel loaded with torpedoes for hur destruction at the proper time. 
They went in unable to fire a single shot at the enemy and prepared to destroy 
the very deck under their feet. We search the pages of history in vain to find 
some act of heroism for country and flag that approaches this." — Benjamin 
Harrison. 

Richmond Pearson Hobson was born in Greens- 
boro, Alabama, July 15, 1870. His father. Judge 
James M. Hobson, was a Confederate soldier through- 
out the Civil War, and his mother, Sallie C. Pearson, 
was the daughter of Richmond W. Pearson of North 
Carolina, who for forty years served as chief-justice 
of the state. His great-grandfather. Colonel John 
Williams, fought with General Jackson at the battle of 
New Orleans and was afterward United States Sena- 
tor from Tennessee. His great-great-grandfather. Major 
Joseph Williams, was an officer in the American army 
in the war of the Revolution and fought with distin- 
guished bravery at King's Mountain and Cowpens. 

Thus he inherited some of the heroism and darino- 
that marked his exploit in the harbor of Santiago and 
gained for him the honor of being the most conspicu- 



Richmond Pearso7i Hobson. 575 

ous of the many naval heroes of the war for the inde- 
pendence of Cuba. Richmond was educated at the 
Southern University, Greensboro, Alabama, where he 
led his class and won all the honors. In 1884, when 
but fourteen years old, he made a trip to New Orleans 
and there visited the old United States warship Ten- 
nessee. He acquainted himself with the details of her 
construction and learned much of her operation in 
action. On his return he announced his desire to go 
to Annapolis and learn to be a sailor. 

He obtained his appointment and entered the naval 
Academy in 1885. Here he followed his home train- 
ing that included Bible reading and the repetition 
of prayers before retiring, continuing this custom amid 
the jeers of his mates. He gained the ill-will of his 
classmates by reporting infringements of the rules 
while he was on duty as monitor, his sense of justice 
forbidding him to make any distinction. The class 
determined to punish him and he was completely 
ostracised, but quietly submitting to the inevitable he 
maintained his position and refused to bend. Before 
the time for graduation his classmates had learned the 
stuff of which Hobson was made and anxiously courted 
his friendship. His characteristic reply was: 

"No gentlemen, you have got on without me these 
three years and I'll manage to worry along without 
you for the remaining year." 

Thus for four years he had no social companions 
at ths Academy. He never spoke to a cadet without 



576 American Naval Heroes. 

addressing him as "Mister," and he insisted upon 
being treated by his fellow cadets with the same form- 
ality. He was graduated in 1889 ^.t the head of 
his class, and on July i, 1889 he was eighth in order 
of precedence on the list of naval constructors. He 
was made assistant naval constructor on July i, 1891 ; 
and his term of sea service expired in September, 
1895. He was made instructor at the Naval Acad- 
emy July 8, 1897, ^i^d on the declaration of war with 
Spain, was assigned to the battleship New York, flag- 
ship of Rear-Admiral Sampson. When the Spanish 
fleet was found to be in the harbor of Santiago de 
Cuba, Admiral Sampson determined to obstruct the 
narrow part of the entrance to the harbor by sinking 
a collier at that point. He called upon Mr. Hobson 
for his professional opinion as to a sure method of 
sinking the ship. After several days consideration, 
Lieutenant Hobson presented a solution which he 
considered would insure the immediate sinking of the 
vessel when she had reached the desired point in the 
channel. His plan called for only seven men and he 
asked that he might be intrusted with the direction of 
the plan. When the New York reached Santiago on 
Wednesday morning, Hobson went at work on the 
Merriniac which had on board six hundred tons of 
coal. All day long crews from the New York and 
Brooklyn were on board the collier working under 
Hobson's directions. The news of the intended ex- 
pedition spread like wild-fire through the entire fleet 



Richmond Pearson Hob son. 577 

and when it became known that volunteers were 
needed for the desperate undertaking, the Iowa s 
signal yard announced: " 140 volunteers ready," and 
the other ships were not far behind. On the New 
York over two hundred volunteered to go into the 
narrow harbor and face death. In their rush to get 
their names on the volunteer list the junior officers 
literally tumbled over each other. When it was 
learned that Lieutenant Hobson only required six 
men the disappointment on all the ships can better be 
imagined than described. The crews worked on board 
the Merrimac all Wednesday night and shortly before 
midnight Lieutenant Hobson visited the flag-ship to 
take his final orders. At three o'clock in the morning 
the admiral, with Flag-lieutenant Staunton, ordered 
the launch and made an inspection of the Merrimac. 
When the men had completed their work and the last 
boat load had returned to the New York, the admiral 
at 4.30 a. m., after wishing Hobson and his brave crew 
God Speed, left the fated ship. Dawn was breaking 
over Santiago as the seemingly deserted collier headed 
straight for Morro Castle. 

A few moments later she was recalled by a signal 
from the flag-ship, the admiral deeming it certain 
death for Hobson to venture in at that hour. Word 
came back: "Lieutenant Hobson asks permission to 
continue on his course. He thinks he can make it." 
The Admiral in turn replied: "The Merrimac must 
return at once," and the doomed collier slowly steamed 



5/8 American Naval Heroes. 

back. On Thursday more elaborate preparations were 
made, Hobson personally supervising- every detail. 
His uniform was begrimed, his hands were black and 
he looked like a man who had been at work in an 
eneine-room for a week. Two men were found on 
the collier who had no right to be there. They were 
Assistant Engineer Crank of the Merrimac and Boat- 
swain Mullin of the New York. They had been work- 
ing on the collier all day Wednesday and did not leave 
the ship with the rest of the workmen. As their dis- 
obedience was of the nature of bravery, it was not 
officially recognized. 

Lieutenant Hobson started on his daring errand 
a second time at 3 o'clock on Friday morning. The 
moon was obstructed by clouds and the Merrimac 
stole in, followed by a steam launch from the New York 
with the following crew on board : Naval-cadet J. 
W. Powell, Coxswain P. K. Peterson, Apprentice H. 
Handford, Coal-passer J. Mullings, Machinist G. L. 
Russel. In the launch were bandages and appliances 
for the wounded. On the MeriHniac were Naval 
Constructor Hobson and Daniel Montague, George 
Charette, J. C. Murphy, Oscar Deignan, John P. 
Phillips, John Kelly and H. Clausen. Clausen was a 
coxswain of the New York and was on board against 
orders. We give the account of the sinking of the 
Merrimac in Hobson's own words : 

" It was about three o'clock in the morning when the Merrimac 
entered the narrow channel and steamed in under the guns of Morro 



Richmond Pearson Hobson. 579 

Castle. The stillness of death prevailed. It was so dark that we 
could scarcely see the headland. We had planned to drop our star- 
board anchor at a certain point to the right of the channel, reverse 
our engines and then swing the Merrimac around, sinking her 
directly across the channel. 

" This plan was adhered to, but circumstances rendered its exe- 
cution impossible. When the Merrimac poked her nose into the 
channel our troubles commenced. The deadly silence was broken 
by the wash of a small boat approaching us from the shore. I made 
her out to be a picket boat. She ran close up under the stern of 
the Merrimac and fired several shots from what seemed to be 
3 -pounder guns. The Meirrmac's rudder was carried away by this 
fire. This is why the collier was not sunk across the channel. We 
did not discover the loss of the rudder until the Merrimac cast 
anchor. We then found that the Merrimac would not answer to the 
helm, and were compelled to make the best of the situation. 

"The run up the channel was very exciting. The picket boat 
had given the alarm, and in a moment the guns of the Vizcaya, the 
Almirante Oquendo and the shore batteries were turned upon us. 
Submarine mines and torpedoes also were exploding all about us, 
adding to the excitement. The mines did no damage, although we 
could hear rumbling, and could feel the ship tremble. 

" We were running without lights, and only the darkness saved 
us from utter destruction. When the ship was in the desired posi- 
tion, and we found that the rudder was gone, I called the men on 
deck. While they were launching the catamaran I touched off the 
explosives. 

" At the same moment, two torpedoes fired by the Reina Mer- 
cedes, struck the Merrimac amidships. I cannot say whether our 
own explosive or the Spanish torpedoes did the work, but the 
Merrimac was lifted out of the water and almost rent asunder. As 
she settled down we scrambled overboard and cut away the catama- 
ran. A great cheer went up from the fort and warships as the 
collier foundered, the Spaniards thinking that the Merrimac was an 
American warship. 

" We attempted to get out of the harbor on the catamaran, but 
the strong tide was running, and daylight found us still struggling in 
the water. Then for the first time the Spaniards saw us, and a boat 
from the Reina Mercedes picked us up. It was then shortly after 
five o'clock in the morning, and we had been in the water more than 



580 American Naval Heroes. 

an hour. We were taken on board the Reina Mercedes, and later 
sent to Morro Castle. 

"In Morro Castle we were confined in cells in the inner side of 
the fort, and were there the first day the fleet bombarded Morro. 
I could only hear the whistling of the shells and the noise they made 
when they struck, but I judged from the conversation of the guards 
that the shells did considerable damage. 

"After this bombardment, Mr. Ramsden, the British consul, 
protested, and we were removed to the hospital. There I was 
separated from the other men in our crew, and could see them only 
by special permission. Montague and Kelly fell ill two weeks ago, 
suffering from malaria, and I was permitted to visit them twice. 

*' Mr. Ramsden was very kind to us, and demanded that 
Montague and Kelly be removed to better quarters in the hospital. 
It was done. 

" As for myself, there is little to say. The Spanish were not dis- 
posed to do much for the comfort of any of the prisoners at first, 
but after our army had taken some of their men as prisoners, our 
treatment was better. Food is scarce in the city, and I was told 
that we fared better than the Spanish officers." 

After his exchange he succeeded in raising and 
floating the Maria Teresa, the Christobal C0I071 and 
the Vizcaya, and then was sent to Manila to raise the 
Spanish battleships sunk by Admiral Dewey. The 
accompanying proclamation of President McKinley 
gives the voice of the nation as to the act of Lieutenant 
Hobson. 

Washington, June 27, 189S. 
To the Congress of the United States — 

On the morning of the third of June, 1898, Assistant Naval Con- 
structor Richmond P. Hobson, U. S. N., with a volunteer crew of 
seven men, in charge of the partially dismantled collier Merrimac, 
entered the fortified harbor of Santiago, Cuba, for the purpose of 
sinking the collier in the narrowest portion of the channel and thus 
interposing a serious obstacle to the egress of the Spanish fleet, 
which had recently entered that harbor. 



Richmond Pearson Hobson. 581 

This enterprise, demanding coolness, judgment and bravery 
amounting to heroism, was carried into successful execution in the 
face of a persistent fire from the hostile fleet as well as from the 
fortifications on shore. 

Rear Admiral Sampson, commander-in-chief of our naval force 
in Cuban waters, in an official report dated " Off Santiago de Cuba, 
June 3, 1898," and addressed to the Secretary of the Navy, referring 
to Mr. Hobson's gallant exploit, says : 

" As stated in a recent telegram, before coming here, I decided 
to make the harbor entrance secure against the possibility of egress 
of the Spanish ships, by obstructing the narrow part of the entrance 
by sinking a collier at that point. 

" Upon calling upon Mr. Hobson for his professional opinion as 
to a sure method of sinking the ship he manifested a most lively 
interest in the problem. After several day's consideration he pre- 
sented a solution which he considered would insure the immediate 
sinking of the ship when she had reached the desired point in the 
channel. The plan contemplated a crew of only seven men and 
Mr. Hobson, who begged that it might be intrusted to him. 

" As soon as I reached Santiago and had the collier to work 
upon, the details were commenced and diligently prosecuted, hopmg 
to complete them in one day, as the moon and tide served best the 
first night after our arrival. Notwithstanding every effort, the hour 
of 4 o'clock in the morning arrived, and the preparations were 
scarcely completed. After a careful inspection of the final prepar- 
ation, I was forced to relinquish the plan for that morning, as dawn 
was breaking. Mr. Hobson begged to try it at all hazards. 

"This morning proved more propitious, as a prompt start could 
be made. Nothing could have been more gallantly executed. 
* * * * A careful inspection of the harbor from this ship showed 
that the Merriinac had been sunk in the channel. 

" I cannot myself too earnestly express my appreciation of the 
conduct of Mr. Hobson and his gallant crew. I venture to say that 
a more brave and daring thing has not been done since Cushing 
blew up the Albemarley 

The members of the crew who were with Mr. Hobson on the mem- 
orable occasion have already been rewarded for their services by 
advancement, which, under the provisions of law and regulation, 
the Secretary of the Navy was authorized to make, and the nomin- 
ation to the senate of Naval Cadet Powel who, in a steam launch, 



582 Amei'ican Naval Heroes. 

followed the Merrimac on her perilous trip, for the purpose of 
rescuing her force after the sinking of that vessel, to be advanced 
in rank to the grade of ensign, has been prepared and will be 
submitted. 

Gushing, with whose gallant act in blowing up the ram Albe- 
marle during the Civil War, Admiral Sampson compares Mr. Hobson's 
sinking of the Merrimac, received the thanks of Congress upon 
recommendation of the President, by name, and was in consequence, 
under the provisions of section 1,508 of the revised statutes, ad- 
vanced one grade, such advancement embracing 56 numbers. The 
section cited applies, however, to line officers only, and Mr. Hobson, 
being a member of the staff of the navy, could not, under its pro- 
visions, be so advanced. 

In considering the question of suitably rewarding Assistant Naval 
Constructor Hobson for his valiant conduct on the occasion referred 
to, I have deemed it proper to address this message to you with the 
recommendation that he receive the thanks of congress and, further, 
that he be transferred to the line of the navy, and promoted to such 
position therein as the President, by and with the advice and consent 
of the senate, may determine. 

Mr. Hobson's transfer from the construction corps to the line 
is fully warranted, he having received the necessary technical train- 
ing as a graduate of the naval academy, where he stood number one 
in his class, and such action is recommended, — partly in deference 
to what is understood to be his own desire, although he being now a 
prisoner in the hands of the enemy, no direct communication on the 
subject has been received from him, — and partly for the reason that 
the abilities displayed by him at Santiago are of such a character as 
to indicate especial fitness for the duties of the line. 

William McKixlev. 
Executive Mansion. 

June 27, 1898. 



LV. 



WORTH BAGLEY. 



"Nothing will happen to me with such prayers as yours to aid me. I shall 
have full confidence at all times, in action or wherever I may be, and that alone 
would keep me ready to do good service. Do not be afraid for me. Everything 
turns out for the best. You will have to get out of the habit of feeling fear for 
my safety. Besides you have enough of the Spartan in you, if you wish, to say, 
'With your shield, or on it,' and that is what you must always say to me." — 
Letter to his mother, dated April 21, i8g8. 




^-Ja. ^ -n-^-5." 







C'^RDEMAS 

Worth Bagley was born in Raleigh, N. C, April 
6, 1874. He was the oldest son of the late Major 
William H. Bagley, a native of Perquimans County, 
N. C. When the Civil War broke out Major Bagley 

583 




Worth Bagley. 



Worth Bagley. 585 

volunteered in the first company for the Confederate 
service that was raised in his county. He rose to the 
rank of major in the 68th N. C. Regiment, and held 
that position in the Confederate army when Lee sur- 
rendered. 

Upon the election of Jonathan Worth as governor 
of the state in 1865, Major Bagley became private 
secretary to the governor, and in March, 1866, he was 
married to the governor's daughter, Adelaide Anne. 
In 1868 he was chosen clerk of the supreme court of 
North Carolina, and held the position until his death, 
February 21, 1886. 

Major Bagley was a son of Colonel William H. 
Bagley, grandson of William Bagley, who fought in the 
War of 18 1 2, and great-grandson of Thomas Bagley, 
who served in the Revolutionary War. Ensign Bag- 
ley's mother is the youngest living daughter of the 
late Governor Jonathan Worth and Martitia Daniel. 
The Worths were orginally Quakers, and were among 
the first of the Friends who came to America, William 
Worth havinof emigrated from Devonshire, Eno-land, 
about 1640. 

Worth Bagley was a worthy descendant of distin- 
guished ancestors. There was in him the rare blending 
of the simplicity and directness of his Quaker ancestry 
and the bonhomie and geniality that is characteristic of 
Southern civilization. Robust and healthy from baby- 
hood he grew in strength and manly grace. He was 
gentle, courteous, affectionate and deeply religious. 



586 American Naval Heroes. 

He finished the course in the Centennial Graded 
School and in 1884 entered the classical school of 
Morson and Denson, at Raleigh, to prepare for col- 
lege. He took a high stand there, winning many 
medals and honors. In all athletic games and sports 
he displayed surprising skill and strength for 
his age. 

At the close of the session of 1888-89 he received 
the highest honors in several of his classes, and 
was fully prepared to enter the University of North 
Carolina, but entering a competition examination for 
appointment to the United States Naval Academy at 
Annapolis he won the prize in a large class composed 
of young men who were all his seniors by several 
years. 

The committee who held his examination reported 
that young Bagley's papers were almost perfect. 

He was appointed a cadet by the Hon. Benjamin 
H. Bunn, and entered the United States Naval Acad- 
emy in 1889. He had previously given especial 
attention to the classics and was a fine Latin and 
Greek scholar, but at Annapolis Latin and Greek are 
omitted altogether from the curriculum, and mathe- 
matics, chemistry and kindred subjects are given pre- 
eminence, so it was not suprising that he failed to 
pass the examination in the spring of 189 1. He was 
reappointed, however, by Mr. Bunn, and became a 
member of the class of 1895, in which he made an 
excellent record both in scholarship and in athletics. 



Worth Bagley. 587 

Detached from the academy in June, 1895, he 
went on board the receiving ship Vemnont, whence he 
was sent to the cruiser Montgomery, July 23, and 
thence to the Texas, October 8th. On January 20, 
1896, he was assigned to the Maine, and on July 20, 
1896, was transferred back to the Texas where he 
remained until he returned to Annapolis for his final 
examination in May, 1S97. 

He was promoted ensign, July i, 1897, and 
assigned to the Indiana, whence he was transferred to 
the Maine on August 17th. On November 19, 1897, 
he was ordered to the Columbian Iron Works, Balti- 
more, as inspector, in connection with fitting out the 
torpedo boat IVins/oza. 

Of his short career before he went on board the 
Winslow there is little to be said, except that he was 
a faithful and popular officer. When Lieutenant John 
B. Bernardou knew that he was to be given command 
of the Wiitslow he offered Ensign Bagley the position 
of second in command, which after some hesitation he 
accepted, entering upon his duties December 28. 1897. 

In January, 1898, he was given his first opportunity 
to show the heroism of his nature. In a rag/ng storm 
wdth the assistance of two sailors in a life-boat, he 
saved the lives of two poor fellows from a scow which 
was adrift at sea about fifty miles from New York. 
For this deed the Secretary of the Navy on February 
1st wrote a letter of thanks to Lieutenant Bernardou, 
Ensigp Bagley and the other members of the crew. 



588 American Naval Heroes. 

When the Maine was blown up in Havana harbor, 
his indignation knew no bounds and he was eager for 
the war with Spain to begin. 

On the morning of May 12, 1898, the gun-boats 
Machias and Wilmington, the torpedo-boat Winslow 
and the armed revenue cutter Hudson, met off the 
harbor of Cardenas determined to put a stop to the 
annoyance the spiteful little Spanish boats in the har- 
bor were giving the patrol. The Wilmington took 
the middle position, the Hudson the west shore and 
the Winslow the east shore and proceeded into the 
harbor by an entrance inside Cayo Cupey. 

The Machias was obliged to remain outside on 
account of her drawing too much water. The Wil- 
iningto7i soon found her draft of ten feet too much for 
the passage and this left the Winslow and Hudson to 
hunt out their game. The Winslow darted ahead and 
soon found herself the target of hidden shore batteries 
and of the Spanish gun-boats. Lieutenant J. B. Ber- 
nardou, the commanding officer of the Winslow, was 
wounded in the thigh, but twisting a handkerchief 
around his leg he continued fighting. His men never 
faltered. 

At 2.35 p. m., a solid shot crashed through her 
hull, and knocked out the boiler and disabled the 
steering gear, then she began to roll and drift help- 
lessly. 

It was a moment of awful suspense on the Wins- 
low. The brave crew heard the fierce cheer of 



Worth Bagley. 589 

triumph from the Spaniards as they witnessed the 
effect of the iron hail. The next sound was a storm of 
shot and shell aimed unerringly at the helpless craft. 
The gun-boat Hudson soon came up to the Winslow 
and Lieutenant Frank H. Newcomb, her commander, 
heard the megaphone message from the Winslow, 
" We are disabled, come and tow us off." Lieutenant 
Newcomb in this emergency showed himself a hero. 
He rushed to the rescue, and as the Hudson came 
alongside, threw a line to the Winslow but it did not 
strike the deck which was now a sure target for every 
gun of the Spanish batteries, and to run into it meant 
certain death to the unprotected revenue cutter. The 
next trial of the Hudson, which consumed fully twenty 
minutes, resulted in the line reaching the Winslow on 
whose deck stood Ensign Bagley, second in command, 
and six men to receive it. 

" Heave her, heave her," shouted Bagley, looking 
toward the commander of the Hudson. 

" Don't miss it," returned the officer of the Hudson, 
and with a smile young Bagley called back, 

"All right, let her come, this is getting too hot for 
comfort." 

The line reached the deck and at the same moment 
a Spanish shell exploded in the midst of the group. 
Ensign Bagley and two of' the men were instantly 
killed and three of the crew dropped groaning to the 
blood-stained deck, two dying within a few hours. 
Another wild shout of triumph went up from the 



1^90 American Naval Heroes. 

Spanish boats and forts. The Hudson bravely kept 
her place by the side of the Winslow and the line 
fastened by the surviv.ors drew taut and broke. It 
was not till 3.50 p. m. that the Hudson again passed 
the line to the three remaining men on the deck. 
They made it fast and the Winslow was towed out of 
the range of the Spanish guns with the lifeless bodies 
of Ensign Bagley, Firemen Deneef and Meek, Oiler 
Varvaris and Cook Tunnell, five victims. 

The Winsloiv had been struck first by a three-inch 
shell from one of the gun-boats, which ripped through 
her side and pierced the forward bulkhead ; two others 
struck her on her port side further aft, one of these 
shots carrying away 125 tubes of one boiler. A shell 
struck the hood of the forward conning tower ; eight 
others pierced the tower lower down and Quarter- 
master McEwen described their explosion to be like 
the voice of thunder. One shell burst the steam pipe 
and the escaping steam filled the tower. Eive of the 
nine shells burst inside the tower. A torpedo lashed 
to the port side was struck by a shell and the war head 
was smashed to bits, some of the pieces penetrating 
the wet gun-cotton. It was only chance that pre- 
vented an explosion that would have destroyed the 
craft and all on board. A box of one pounder ammu- 
nition full of cartridges lay on the deck and a Spanish 
shell exploded in the box but the ammunition was not 
disturbed. A shell passed between the legs of Mate 
Cavanaugh and through the conning tower while he 



ll'ortJi Bagley.^ 591 

was working the forward gun to extract a jammed 
shell and he kept right on as if nothing unusual had 
happened. A shell hit the starboard about amidship 
and passed through the coal bunker into the engine 
room. As it exploded a piece lodged between the 
piston head and the cylinder and rendered the engine 
useless. The wheel ropes were carried away early in 
the action. The IVhisUno carried out of the fieht 
twenty-six scars, every one acquired in her half-hour 
fight at Cardenas, besides seven dents made by Spanish 
Mauser bullets fired by riflemen as she ran close in 
shore. 

In Harper's Magazine for December, 1898, Lieu- 
tenant Ernest E. Mead, an officer of the revenue 
cutter service, who was on board the Hudson at the 
rescue of the JJiJtslozu at Cardenas, thus tells the story 
of the death of Ensign Bagley and his comrades : 

" As we were approaching the IVinsIoni on our second attempt 
to close with her the tragic event which has given this engagement 
its sad prominence occurred. The officers and crew of the Whis/ow 
were gathered along her rail waiting to grasp the expected heaving- 
line. Grouped around the starboard gun were an officer and four 
men. They stood there, the men, expectant, every nerve taut, 
waiting to grasp the elusive line, which was their only chance to 
escape almost certain destruction — the officer, self-contained, smil- 
ing, a perfect antidote for nervousness in his calm bearing. The 
next instant they were gone. A flash, barely visible in the glare of 
the sun, a report, unnoticed in the noise of battle, a faint puff of 
vapor, and as it cleared away we realized that five of our comrades 
in danger had been wounded, killed, destroyed by an enemy's 
projectile. One poor fellow, falling on the curve of the deck, 
was slipping overboard when he made a last despairing grasp at a 
stanchion and held on, calling plaintively for help. A shriek of 



592 American Naval Heroes. 

horror rose from both crews as his shipmates sprang to his assis- 
tance. He never knew of their ready answer to his call. He was 
dead when they tenderly drew his body back on deck. One cry, 
a few muttered curses, and the crews hurried to their stations ; some 
to their guns to work them as they had never been worked before, 
the others to the seemingly hopeless task of saving both vessels." 

Young Bagley was the first officer to fall, and the 
fifth member of his class to die a violent death.in the 
war with Spain. His body was carried to hishome 
in Raleigh, N. C, and the United States Nav))" was 
represented by Assistant Naval Constructor Lieuten- 
ant Lawrence L. Adams of the Norfolk Navy Yard. 
His body was laid in state in the rotunda of the 
State Capitol, and the funeral exercises were held in 
the presence of ten thousand people on the Capitol 
grounds in front of the statue of Washington. The 
procession to the cemetery was seen by fifteen thou- 
sand spectators. As the procession moved eleven 
guns were fired by a battery and eleven more were 
fired at the grave after which two regiments of state 
militia fired three volleys. His grave was made near 
that of his grandfather, Governor Jonathan Worth, of 
North Carolina, for whom he was named. 



NDEX. 



Abellino, 229. 

Active, 303. 

Acton, General, 196. 

Adams, Captain, 16, 19, 477. 

Adams, John, 20, 27, 35, 93, 164, 289, 

364. 
Adams, Lawrence L., 592. 
Adams, 165, 168, 189, 363. 
Admiral Duff, 184, 185. 
^A7/^«/«rt, 443,485, 487, 515.516, 517, 

518. 
Albermarle, 464, 465, 466, 468, 5S1, 

582. 
Alerf, 46, 47, 102, 306, 307, 449. 
Alexander, Captain, 143. 
Alfred, 20, 28, 30, 31, 36, 37, 38, 61, 

62, 71, 119. 
Allen, William, 291. 
Allen, William Henry, 291 to 301, 

218, 325. 
Allen, William Henry, Jr., 301. 
Allen, Colonel, 522. 
Alliance, 70, 79, 80, 81,83,88, 90, 

.91,92, 106, 109,111, 112, 121, 

122, 123, 124, 125, 164. 
Almirante Oquendo, 563, 564, 565, 

572, 579- 
Alney, Master, 354. 
Ambuscade, 164. 
America, 93, 94. 
American flag, 45, 47. 
Ami, 339. 
Amphitritc, 304. 
Anderson, Representative, 306. 
Andrea Doria, 20,28, 30, 37, 131, 132, 

133. 134. 143- 



Ansley, Captain, 340. 

Applegate, F. T., 559. 

Argo, 171. 

Argus, 189, 196, 202, 204, 205, 209, 

257, 266, 271, 271a, 279, 288, 299, 

300, 301, 373. 
Ariel, 112, 92, 93, 354. 
Arkansas, 443, 502, 503, 504, 505. 
Armstrong, James, 431, 432. 
Armstrong, John, 396. 
Armstrong, 393, 397, 398, 399, 402, 

403, 404, 405, 406, 407, 408, 412, 

413- 

Arrendel, Mr., 365, 367. 

Arwin, Thomas, 30. 

Astor, John Jacob, 364. 

Atalanta, 122, 123. 

Aylwin, John Cushing, 345 to 348, 
291. 

Aylwin, William, 345. 

Ayres, Captain, 18. 

Babbitt, Lieutenant, 221, 

Bagley, Thomas, 585. 

Bagley, William H., 584, 585. 

Bagley, Worth, 584 to 592, 10. 

Bainbridge, Dr. Absolom, 233. 

Bainbridge, Sir Arthur, 233. 

Bainbridge, William, 233 to 252, 
114, 167, 189, 191, 192, 195, 197, 
209, 223, 225, 230, 231, 270a, 
279, 291, 293, 305, 307, 327, 
339. 346, 361, 362, 387. 

Bainbridge, 428. 

Ballard, Lieutenant, 274a. 

Baltimore, 394, 507. 536, 537, 539, 
541, 543. 555. 556. 



594 



Index. 



Balton, Commodore, 469. 

Bank of North America, 124. 

Barclay, 308, 447. 

Barclay, Commodore, 353. 

Barclay, Thomas, 172. 

Barlow, Mr., 299. 

Barnewell, Edward, 312, 315. 

Barnes, Lieutenant,. 138. 

Barney, Joshua, 141 to 147. 

Barreau, Captain, 174, 175. 

Barron, James, 321 10326, 114, 167, 

231, 263, 265, 293, 296. 
Barron, Samuel, 114, 115, 206, 216, 

252, 321, 460, 461. 
Barron, Stephen, 321. 
Barry, John, 117 to 126, 9, 20, 47, 

164, 279, 321. 
Bayard, J. A., 284. 
Beagle, 318. 
Belvidera, 266. 

Benton, 495, 496, 498, 499, 505. 
Beresford, John Poer, 283. 
Berkeley, Admiral, 324, 325. 
Bernardo, J. B., 587. 
Biddle, James, 282, 283, 327, 329, 330, 

333. 334. 335. 336. 389- 
Biddle, Nicholas, 12710 140, 10, 20, 

21, 28, 35, 37, 39- 
Biddle, William, 127. 
Blake, Captain, 137. 
Blake, Lieutenant, 197. 
Blythe, Captain, 340, 342. 
Boggs, Captain, 455. 
Bolton, 30. 
Bon Ho77i7ne Richard, 11, 69, 80, 86, 

104, 105, 107, 108, 109, no. III, 

121, 151. 
Bonne Citoyenne, 249, 270a, 387. 
Boston, 155, 255, 526, 536, 537, 539, 

541, 543, 545. 



Bowen, Captain, 192. 

Boxer, 339, 340, 341, 342, 

Boyne, 13. 

Bradford, William, 50. 

Brady, James T., 419. 

Bragg, General, 497, 

Brandywine, 290, 449. 

Breas, Jaspar P., 441. 

Breeze, Chaplain, 356. 

Breshwood, Captain, 424, 425. 

Broke, Commodore, 269, 273a. 

Brookes, Samuel, 296. 

Brooklyn, 427, 433, 450, 452, 454, 
455, 472, 510, 514, 526, 557, 
558, 559. 560, 564. 576. 

Brooks, Marine Officer, 356. 

Broome, John L., 533. 

Broughton, Ezekiel, 16, 18, 19. 

Brown, Ann, 361. 

Brown, Isaac N., 505. 

Brown, Mountfort, 30. 

Brown, Lieutenant, 365. 

Brumby, Lieutenant, 545. 

Bryant, Commander, 496. 

Buchanan, Franklin, 507 to 511. 

Buchanan, James, 467. 

Bunn, Benjamin H., 586. 

Burke, Captain, 18. 

Burns, J., 559. 

Burnside, A. E., 473. 

Burroughs, Ezekiel, 24. 

Burrows, William, 339 to 343, 291. 

Butler, Benjamin F., 451, 460, 533. 



Cabot, 20, 28, 30, 36, 37, 61. 
Cairo, 496, 499. 

Caldwell, Lieutenant, 202, 253, 425. 
Coledonia, 353, 354, 357, 374- 
Calkins, Lieutenant, 541, 543, 545- 



Index. 



595 



Calypso, 410. 

Camden, 131. 

Campbell, Captain, 1S9. 

Carcase, 130. 

Carden, John S., 217, 21S. 

Carnation, 397, 398, 400, 407, 408. 

Caromiekt, 438, 439, 440, 441, 442, 
443. 49i» 495. 496, 497, 498, 499, 
503. 504- 

Carrysfort, 137. 

Cass, 424, 425. 

Cassin, Lieutenant, 379, 381. 

Castilla, 542, 543, 544. 

Cavanaugh, Mate, 590. 

Cayuga, 452, 532. 

Celia, 192. 

Cerberus, 13, 135. 

Cerf, 80, 81. 

Cervera, Admiral, 549, 550, 551, 556, 

557. 561, 565. 568, 569, 572. 
Cesnola, Count Louis Palma di, 395. 
Cesnola, Madame di, 395, 416. 
Chambers, James, 169, 171. 
Champlin, Master, 354. 
Chance, 171. 
Charette, George, 578. 
Charleston, 526. 
Charming Molly, 143. 
Chauncey, Rev. Charles, 361. 
Chauncey, Isaac, 361 to 371, 351, 

374. 377- 
Chauncey, Israel, 361. 
Chauncey, John S., 371. 
Chauncey, Walcott, 361. 
Chauncey, Captain, 202, 203. 
Chauncey, Lieutenant W., 223. 
Cherub, 310, 311, 312, 313, 314, 

447- 
Chesapeake, 167, 216, 271a, 272a, 
294, 295, 296, 297, 321, 325, 361, 
362, 373. 389- 



Chester, Colby Mitchell, 526. 

Chester, John, 394. 

Chester, Rebecca, 393. 

Chester, Sir Robert, 394. 

Chester, Samuel, 394. 

Chew, Captain, 19. 

Chickasaw, 5 1 1 . 

Chidwick, Chaplin, 41. 

Chippewa , 354. 

Chrisiobal Colon, 523, 557, 558, 560, 
563, 564. 5S0. 

Chubb, 378, 379. 

Cincinnati, 439, 440, 496, 497, 498. 

Citoyenne, 387. 

Ci.ARK, Charles Edgar, 523 ti. 528, 

560. 
Clark, Granville Lloyd, 525. 
Clark, James, 525. 
Clark, James Dayton, 525. 
Clark, Lois (Williams), 525. 
Clark, Myron, 525. 
Clausen, H., 578. 
Clayton, Governor, 277. 
Cobb, Howell, 424. 
Cochrane, Sir Thomas, 395, 396, 397, 

413, 414- 
Coffin, Captain, 345. 
Coghlan, Joseph Bullock, 526, 540-.. 
Coit, Captain, 16, 18, 19. 
Collier, Sir George, 155. 
Colorado, 428, 548. 
Columbia, 526. 

Columbus, 20, 28, 30, 36, 39, 62, 252:^ 
Concord, 536, 538, 539, 540, 543. 
Conestoga, 435, 440, 501. 
Confiance, 379, 380, 381, 382. 
Congress, 165, 188, 216, 230, 265, 266, 
285, 293, 427, 479, 480, 509, 561. 
Conklin, Master, 354. 
Conner, David, 385 to 392, 334. 
Conner, Abigail (Rhodes), 385. 



596 



Index. 



Conner, Edward, 385. 

CONN'YNGHAM, GUSTAVUS, 5 1 tO 54, 
90. 

Concjiiest, 356, 365. 

Co7tstdlation 165, 166, 167, 173, 174, 
177, 178, 223, 230, 236, 248, 263, 

264, 303. 304, 427- 
Constitution, 165, 189, 191, 194, 196, 
197, 198, 199, 203, 204, 205, 206, 
216, 248, 249, 251, 255, 256, 269, 
270, 276, 271a, 274a, 280, 284, 
288, 294, 321, 323, 339, 346, 348, 

364, 387- 
Contreras, Commander, 560. 
Conway, William, 431. 
Cook, Francis Augustus, 526, 558. 
Cooke, William H., 317. 
Corden, John S., 298. 
•Corsair, 226, 569. 
Costilla, 539. 

Countess of Scarborough, 107. 
Cowell, J. G., 315. 
Cox, Captain, 323. 
Crane, William, 296. 
Crank, Assistant Engineer, 57S. 
Cranston, Lord, 135. 
Craven, T. A., 510. 
Crawford, United States Minister, 299, 

300. 
Creighton, L. Orde, 296. 
Croyable, 236. 
Crusader, 427. 

Cumberland, 427, 460, 479, 486, 509. 
Curlew, 267. 

Gushing, Alonzo, H., 463. 
Gushing, Howard B., 463. 
Gushing, Mary Barker, 463, 467. 
Gushing, Milton B., 463, 466. 
CrsHiNG, William Parker, 463, 468 

". 345. 375' 460, 469. 
Cyane, 375, 460, 469. 



Dabney, Charles W., 406, 412. 
Dacres, Captain, 273, 275. 
Dahlgren, Bernard Ulric Gustavus, 485. 
Dahlgren, Charles Bunker, 488. 
Dahlgren, John Adolph, 485 to 489, 

473- 
Dahlgren, Ulric, 488. 
Dakotah, 427. 
Dale, Richard, 97 to 116, 9, 11, 80, 

92, 151, 161, 191, 209, 242. 
Dale, 428. 
Dallas, A. J., 223. 
Dallas, Captain, 318. 
Davie, General, 279. 
Davis, Charles Henry, 491 to 506, 

455- 

Davis, Jefferson, 514. 

Davis, Maria Louisa, 528. 

Davis, Maria Louisa (Russell) 528. 

Davis, Wendell T., 528. 

Deane, Silas, 20, 27, 72. 

Deane, 156. 

Decatur, James, 197, 198, 199, 214. 

Decatur, Stephen, Sr., 207, 236. 

Decatur, Stephen, Jr., 207 to 232, 
189, 195, 199, 206, 246, 252, 253, 
255, 257, 266, 269a, 271a, 284, 
285, 287, 288, 298, 299, 321, 326, 

330, 334. 351. 359. 378. 421, 459- 
Deerhotind, 518. 
Defiance, 148. 
Deiguan, Oscar, 578. 
Delaware, 207, 236, 469, 472, 561. 
Deueef, Fireman, 590. 
Demming, Lorenzo, 464. 
Dent, Lieutenant, 197, 255. 
Desforneaux, General, 238. 
Desire, 25. 

Detroit, 353, 354, 358, 374. 
Dewey, George, 529 to 545, 9, 19, 

520, 525, 526, 574,580. 



Index. 



597 



Dewey, Julius Yemares, 529, 531. 

Dewey, Simon, 529. 

Dickerson, Captain, 334. 

Dix, John A., 424, 425. 

Dobbin, Master, 354. 

Dolphin, 45, 46, loi, 536. 

Don Antonio de Ulloa, 539, 544. 

Don yuna de Austria, 539, 544. 

Dorsey, J., 202. 

Downes, John, 223, 

Downie, Thomas, 379, 380, 381. 

Downs, Lieutenant, 309, 310, 314. 

Doyle, J. G., 559. 

Drake, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78. 

Drayton, General, 494. 

Duckworth, Admiral, 164, 166 

Duke of Gloucester, 367, 368. 

Dunmore, Lord, 29. 

Dupont, S. F., 493, 495. 

Duras, 80. 

Dyer, Captain, 18. 



Enterprise, 114, 189, 195, 196, 209, 
245,265, 269a, 287, 304, 305, 306, 
339. 340, 341, 342, 362, 373. 
378. 

Epervier, 223, 224, 227. 

Ericsson, John, 478, 556. 

Ericsson, 564. 

Essex, 114, 167, 188, 209, 242, 285, 
306, 307, 308, 309, 310, 312, 314, 
316, 321,323.361,362,373. 387, 
439,441.445.447. 505. 555- 

Essex, ytmior ( Georgiana,) 309, 310, 
312, 316. 

Estedio, 225. 

Eulate, Captain, 560. 

Evans, Frank Taylor, 565. 

Evans, J. C, 545, 558. 

Evans, Robley Dunglison, 526, 561 
to 566. 

Ewarts, W. M., 414. 

Experiment, 120, 304. 



Eads, James B., 435, 438. 

f-'^S^e, 378, 379, 380, 382. 

Earl of Maria , 367. 

Eben, Commander, 496. 

Eckford, Henry, 368. 

Edward, Captain, 17, 18, 122. 

Effingham, 118, 119. 

El Correo, 539, 544. 

Elery, William, 40. 

Elgin, Lord, 164. 

Ellet, Colonel, 499. 

Elliott, Jessie Duncan, 373 to 375, 

223, 231, 350, 353, 354, 357, 365, 

366, 377- 
Ellis, G. H.,559. 
Ellis, 467, 468. 
KUsworth, James, 279. 
Ellsworth, Colonel, 471. 
Endyinion, 221, 222. 



Fair American, 137, 140, 144. 
Falcon, 13, 154. 

Farragut, David G., 445 10457, 10, 
303. 435. 502, 507, 509, 526, 532, 

533- 
Farragut, George, 445. 
Farragut, Mrs., 447. 
Finch, 378, 379, 
Firefly, 223. 

Fitz, Henry, Lieutenant, 221. 
Flag, the American, 45, 47. 

Paul Jones, 70. 

Pine Tree, 16. 

Rattlesnake, 71. 

of the United States, 71. 
Flandeaii, 223. 
Flora, 155. 
Fly, 28, 37, 143. 
Folsom, Rev. Charles, 448. 



598 



Index. 



Foote, Klag-Officer, 439, 440, 442,491, 

495- 
Forrest, Lieutenant, 356. 
Fo-x, 317. 
Franklin, Benjamin, 22, 44, 55, 72, 79, 

80, 90, 92. 
Franklin, 15, 18, 19. 
Friend, Captain, 184. 
Frolic^ 82, 277, 280, 281, 282, 2S3, 

284, 327, 329. 
Furor, 563, 564, 565, 570, 571, 

572. 

Gage, General, 153. 

Gallatin, Albert, 152. 

Gamble, Captain, 459. 

Gamboll, Lieutenant T., 223. 

Ganges, 114, 279. 

Gausevort, Captain, 419. 

Gay, Thomas S., 464. 

General Armstrong, 395, 400, 401. 

Generel Beauregard, 498, 500. 

General Bragg, 500. 

General Lezo, 539, 544. 

General Lovell, 500. 

General Monk, 112, 113, 161, 144, 145, 

151- 

General Moultry, 137, 139. 

General Price, 500. 

General Sumter, 500. 

General Van Darn, 500. 

Geotge Washington, 144, 145, 239, 241, 

291. 
Georgiana (Essex Junior), 308, 309. 
Germantowit, 507. 
Gettysburg, 489. 

Glasg07v, 13, 30, 32, 31, 62, 134. 
Glass, Henry, 526. 
Gloucester, 558, 564, 565, 568, 569, 

570, 572. 
Glover, James, 15. 



Goldsborough, Commodore, 469, 472, 

473- 
Goodrich, Casper F., 526. 
Gordon, Charles, 222, 294, 297, 323, 

324, 326. 
Governor Tompkins, 365, 366, 369. 
Grampus, 3 1 8. 
Grant, U. S., 436, 437, 438, 439,440, 

441, 547. 551- 
Green, Captain, 124, 387. 
Greyhound, 317, 449- 
Gridley, Charles V., 525, 540, 541. 
Griffin, T. D., 559. 
Grozvler, 378. 
Guerriere, 223, 224, 225, 226, 227, 

229, 230, 248, 260, 273, 274, 275, 

280, 288, 346. 
Gutheridge, Bridges, 99. 
Gutheridge, William, 100. 

Hacker, Hoysted, 38. 

Hague, 156. 

Hall, Captain, 297. ' 

Hallock, Captain, 47, 100, loi. 

Hambleton, Purser, 356. 

Hamilton, Paul, 222, 340, 447. ' 

Hamilton, Richard, 464. 

Hamilton, Lieutenant, 221, 222. 

Hamilton, 365, 366. 

Hampden, 36, 39. 

Hancock, John, 31, 33, 40, 51, 68, 69, 

72, 93- 

Hancock, 16, 18, 154, 155, 161. 

Handford, H., 578. 

Hardy, Sir Thomas, 218. 

Harley, Bernard, 464. 

Harrison, William H., 350, 359. 

Harrison, 16, 18. 

Hartford, 0,2-] , 451, 452, 453, 454, 455» 

456, 505, 510, 527, 568. 
Hawk, 527. 



Index, 



599 



Hawke, 30, 36. 

Hazelwood, John, 49 to 50. 

Hazzard, Captain, 28, 31, 59. 

Henley, Lieutenant, 197, 198. 

Heny, Lieutenant, 419. 

Hewes, Joseph, 27, 58, 62, 65. 

Higgins, Samuel, 464, 466. 

Highflyer, 267. 

Hill^ F. K., 566. 

Hill, William H., 559. 

Hillyar, Commodore, 309, 310, 311, 

316. 
Hinchinbrooh, 137. 
Himman, Elisha, 37. 
Hist, 564. 

Hobson, James M., 574. 
HoBsoN, Richmond Pearson, 574, 

to 582, 10, II, 205, 466. 
Hodgson, Captain, 540, 559. 
Holmes, Joseph, 169. 
Holt, Hon. Ryres, 277. 
Holt, Miss, 277. 
Hope, 18, 19, 233, 235, 236. 
Hopkins, Esek, 23 to 42, 9, 21, 61, 

62, 132, 143, 148. 
Hopkins, John K., 20, 28, 30. 
Ilnpkins, Rev. Samuel, 41. 
Hopkins, Stephen, 20, 22, 27, 37. 
Hopkins, Thomas, 23. 
Hopkins, William, 23. 
Hopkins, 36. 
Hornet, 28, 30, 141, 143, 218, 248, 

249, 266, 270a, 271a, 280, 308, 

327. 329, 330, 331. 333. 334, 335, 

336, 337. 339, 384, 385, 387, 388, 

389, 460. 
Hotham, Admiral, 393. 
Houghton, Edward J., 464. 
Howarth, William L., 464. 
Howe, Tyringham, 134. 
Howe, Admiral, 50, 135, 171, 259. 



Howe, General, 125, 255. 

Howell, Governor, 222. 

Howell, Lieutenant, 221, 222. 

Hudson, 588, 589, 590, 591. 

Hughes, Charles P., 528, 544. 

Hughes, Victor, 238. 

Hull, Isaac, 269 to 276, 280, 288 

346, 421. 
Hull, William, 271. 
Hull, Lieutenant, 209. 
Humphrey, Captain, 324, 325. 
Humphries, Captain, 294. 
Hunt, Captain, 339. 
Hunter, 354. 
Hyder AH, 1 44 , 145. 

Indefatigalde, 235, 236. 

Independence, 171, 172, 230, 252, 492, 

527, 
Indian, 72, 94. 

Indiana, 558, 561, 570, 571, 587. 
Infanta Maria Teresa, 557, 558, 563, 

564, 570, 572, 580. 
Insurgenle, 164, 174, 165, 236, 237, 

238, 263, 264, 304. 
Intrepid, 195, 204,205,211, 212, 213, 

256, 257, 270a, 287. 
Iowa, 526, 549, 551, 561, 563, 565, 

577- 
Iris, 113, 150, 161, 522. 
Iroquois, 427, 452, 505. 
Isla de Cuba, 539, 544. 
Isla de Luzon, 539. 
hla de Mendanao, 539. 
Israel, Joseph, 256. 
Israel, Lieutenant, 204. 

Jackson, General, 413, 414. 
Jackson, President, 320. 
yamesto~vn, 428. 
Jarvis, James, 178, 179. 



6oo 



Inde: 



Jason, 155. 

Java, 251, 307, 346, 359, 387. 

Jefferson, Thomas, 55, 95, 1S9, 

261. 
yeff T/iotnpson, 500, 501. 
Jennings, Nathan, 394. 
Jennings, Mary, 394. 
Jersey, 138. 
Jervis, Sir John, 259. 
John Adams, 167, 192, 193, 202, 203, 

246, 264, 293, 318, 362, 373, 427, 

547- 
Johnson, Robert, 403. 
Johnson, Captain, 45, 47, loi, 102, 

103. 
Jones, Hemphill, 425. 
Jones, Jacob, 277 to 284, 218, 223, 

327, 329, 421. 
Jones, John Paul, 55 to 96, 9, 10, 

28, 32, 36, 37, 38, 39, 47, 104, 

105, 106, 107, 108, III, 112, 116, 

132. 
Jones, Miss, 277. 
Jones, William, 60, 291, 358. 
Joseph, 51. 

Josiah, James, 134, 135. 
Julia, 365. 
Juniata, 536. 

Katie, 27, 28, 

Kearsarge, 443, 453, 515, 517, 51S, 

527. 
Keene, General, 413. 
Keith, Lord, 167. 
Kelly, John, 578, 580. 
Kelson, 202. 
Kent, Duke of, 167. 
Kilty, Commander, 496. 
Kindleburger, Surgeon, 544. 
King, Robert H., 464. 
Kiston, Mrs. Thomas Kuggles, 42. 



Lady Provoste, 354. 

Lafayette, 55, 79, 93, 123, 290. 

Lafayette, \2.2., 443. 

Lambert, Captain, 251. 

Lamberton, Benjamin, 526, 541, 545. 

Lancaster, 468, 499. 

Landais, Pierre, 79, 81, 91, 92, 109, 

III, 121. 
Lang, John, 82. 
Langdon, John, 27. 
Langhorne, Thomas L. P., 306. 
Laurens, Henry, 121. 
Lawrence, James, 269a to 275a, 24S, 

266, 280, 291, 342, 3S7, 389, 421. 
Lawrence, 354, 355, 356, 357, 480. 
Lear, Colonel, 194. 
Lee, Arthur, iii. 
Lee, Richard Henry, 27, 72, 92. 
Lee, 16, 17, 153, 585. 
Lent, Master, 354. 

Leopard, 294, 295, 296, 321, 324, 325. 
Lewis, John E., 223, 290, 565. 
Lexington, 20, 45, 46, 47, 100, lOi, 

102, 117, 118,435,436,437,438, 

440, 501. 
Lincoln, Abraham, 457, 471, 477. 
LAnnet, 379, 382. 
Linscott, Boatswain, 312. 
Little Belt, 260, 263, 266, 354. 
Little, Cxeorge, 185, 186. 
Little Rebel, 498, 500. 
Lively, 13. 
Liverpool, 117. 
Livingston, 9 1 . 
Lloyd, Commodore, 397, 400, 406, 

408, 409, 410, 413, 414. 
Long, John D., 329, 521, 547, 552, 

569- 

Lord Chatham, 73. 
L^onisiana, 532, 533. 
L.ouisville, 499. 



Judex. 



60 1 



Lovell, General, 49S. 
Ludlow, Lieutenant, 274a. 
Luzerne, 124. 
Lyra, 229. 
LyrcJi, 15, 18. 

Macedonian, 217, 223, 225, 229, 230, 
284, 298, 299, 330, 334, 427, 448, 
486. 

Macdonough, Thomas, 377 to 384, 
421. 

Machias, 588. 

Madison, 367, 368, 369. 

Madison, President, 267. 

Magnanime, 166. 

Magnijhjue, 94. 

Maine, 41, 525, 550, 561, 568, 569, 

587. 
Majestic, 221. 
Maley, William, 304. 
Manassas, 454, 532. ' 

Manhattan, 511. 
Manley, John, 15310 156, 16, 17, 18, 

19. 
Manila, 544. 
Manning, James, 41. 
Marblehead, 526. 
Marquis del Duero, 539, 544. 
Marquis de la Fayette, 121. 
Martingale, Captain, 144. 
Martindale, Captain, 16. 
Mars, 122, 172. 
Maryland, 264, 265. 
Mason, N. E., 559. 
Massachusetts, 391, 565. 
Matterface, William, 404. 
Maumee, 468. x 

McCall, Edwin R., 342. 
McCalla, Hendry, 526. 
McConnell, Martha Rowan, 485. 
McCauley, Jr., 559. 



McClelland, General, 424. 

McDermott, Lieutenant, 419. 

McEven, 590. 

McKinley, William, 529, 580, 582. 

McNeil, Hector, 155, 255. 

McPherson, Lieutenant, 365. 

Mead, Ernest E., 591. 

Meecham, James, 531. 

Meek, Freeman, 590. 

Merrimac, 206, 479, 480, 481, 482, 

485, 487, 502, 509, 556, 574, 576, 

577, 578, 579. 581, 582. 
Meshoda, 224, 225, 243, 263, 37S. 
Meyler, James, 70. 
Milford, 68. 
Miller and Murray, 233. 
Mill Prison, 103, 144, 155. 
Minerva, 122. 

Minnesota, 428, 479, 480, 4S2. 
Mir b oka, 191. 
Mississippi, 428, 432, 433, 434, 435, 

452, 454, 455. 
Miranda, Captain, 163. 
McKnight, Stephen, 315. 
Mix, Mr. 365. 
Mohawk, 427. 
Mohican, 427. 
Monarch, 499, 500. 
Monitor, 478, 479, 480, 481, 482, 502, 

509, 556. 
Montague, Daniel, 578, 5S0. 
Monterey, 523, 527. 
Montgomery, J. E., 499. 
Montgomery, 587. 
Monticello, 486. 
Montijo, Admiral, 539. 
Monocacy, 527. 
Monongahela, 511, 534, 555. 
Monroe, President, 147, 418. 
Monroe, Secretary, 146. 
Montague, 30S, 387. 



602 



Index. 



Montauk, 4S2, 4S3. 

Montezuma^ 164, 236, 237, 308. 

Moody, Samuel, 183. 

Morgan, E. B., 140, 547, 56S. 

Morrill, Justin S., 525. 

Morris, Charles, 285 to 290, 167, 
191, 20^, 212, 245, 269, 270, 274, 
346, 361, 362, 363, 449. 

Morris, Robert, 20, 55, 58, 123, 124, 

Mound City, 496, 497, 498, 499, 501, 
502. 

Moultrie, 138. 

Moyland, 15. 

Mugford, James, 18, 19. 

Mulgrave, Lord, 130. 

Mullings, J., 578. 

Murphy, J. C, 578. 

Murray, Alexandkk, 157 to 168. 

Mystic, 427. 

Nadaruasco, 473. 

Nancy, 17, 153. 

A^arcissus, 222. 

A^arragansett, 536. 

Nassau, Prince of, 78. 

Nash'jille, 483. 

Natchez, 449. 

Nautilus, 189, 193, 196, 205, 255, 257, 

294, 351- 
Nelson, Lord, 131, 213, 259, 271a. 
iVc?-eyda, 308. 
Ne-cv Hampshire, 527. 
N'cw Ironsides, 473. 
Newcomb, F. H., 589. 
Newton, Thomas, 97. 
New York, 192, 193, 209, 362, 363, 

561, 564, 571. 576, 577, 578. 
Niagara, 354,355> 357, 375, 427, 555- 
Nicholas, Captain, 29. 
Ntchoi.son, James, 14S to 152, 112, 

1 13, 161. 



Nicholson, J. B., 223. 
Nicholson, Samuel, 45, loi. 
Nixon, M., 124. 
Noah, M. M., 228. 
Nocton, 307. 

Norfolk, 207, 236, 237, 239. 
North Carolina, 252. 
Norton, Lieutenant, 236. 
Notre Dame, 137. 
Nymph, 267. 

O'Connor, Charles, 419. 

Odenheimer, William H., 315. 

Ohio, 354, 460. 

Old Ironsides, 276, 274a. 

Olympia, 525, 526, 536, 537, 539, 540, 

541, 542, 543, 545. 
Oneida, 365, 366, 367, 369, 452, 455. 
Ontario, 223, 375, 389, 469,486, 492. 
Oregon, 389, 523, 527, 528, 550, 557, 

558, 560, 564. 

Packenham, General, 413. 

Pallas, 80, 83, 106, 107. 

Pangborn, Z. K., 529, 531. 

Parker, Sir Hyde, 165. 

Parker, Sir Peter, 39. 

Patappsco, 548. 

Paul Jones' Flag, 70. 

Paul, William, 56, 57. 

Paulding, James K., 337. 

Paulding, Leonard, 440. 

Paulina, 230. 

Pawnee, 427, 469, 471, 472. 

Peacock, 229,270a, 2713,316, 330,3^4, 

335, 388, 389- 
Peale, Charles Wilson, 50. 
Pearson, Richmond W., 86, 107, 109, 

no, 574. 
Pelican, 300, 301. 
Penguin, 327, 331, 333, 334, 335, 3S9. 



hidex. 



603 



Pensacola, 428, 452, 532, 536. 

Peinisylvania, 450. 

Perrin, Mary, 529. 

Perry, Christopher Raymond, 151, 351. 

Perry, C. R., 239. 

Perry, M. C, 390, 391, 507. 

Pf.rry, Oliver Hazard, 351 to 359, 
10, 161, 357, 373,421, 513- 

Perry, Sarah (Alexander), 351. 

Perry f 428. 

Perseus, 137. 

Pert, 365, 367. 

Peterson, P. K., 5 78. 

Petrel, 537, 538, 543, 544. 

Phicton, 164. 

Phelps, 495. 

rhiladelphia, 114, 115, 167, 189, 193, 
195, 200, 201, 203, 207, 209, 210, 
211, 212, 216, 230, 243, 244, 245, 
246, 247, 255, 256, 260, 271a, 
279, 285, 287, 288, 293, 305, 321, 

327. 378. 
Philip, Captain, 55S. 
Phillips, J. P., 578. 
/y/rt/'f, 309, 310, 311, 312, 313, 314, 

477- 
Pickering, 188. 
Piercy, Captain, 107. 

Pi>^'-, 369, 370. 374- 

Pinckney, Charles Colesworth, 137, 

371- 
Pinder, Captain, 92. 
Pine Tree Flag, 16. 
/'///, 169. 

Pittsiuirg, 496, 498. 
Piatt, Lieutenant, 318, 319. 
Plantageiut, 397, 405, 409. 
Plutou. 563, 564, 565, 570, 571, 572. 
Plymouth, 487. 
Pocahontas, 427. 
Poictiers, 283, 329. 



Policy, 308. 

Polly, 137. 

Pomone, 221. 

Pope, General, 442. 

Porcupine, 354. 

Porter, David, 303 to 320, 263. 

Porter, John, 317. 

Porter, William D., 224, 439. 

Porter, Daniel D., 456. 

Porter, David Dixon, 303. 

Portsmouth, 339, 427. 

Potomac, 428, 547, 555. 

Powell, J. W., 578, 581. 

Potvhatan, 427, 561. 

President, 1 14, 1 15, 1 16, 165, 180, 218, 
221, 222, 247, 263, 265, 266, 267, 
321, 323, 330, 334, 339, 459. 

Preble, Edward, 183 to 206, 209, 
211, 213, 243, 246, 255, 256, 261, 

364- 
Preble, Jedediah, 183. 
Price, General, 497. 
Prince of Orange, 5 1 . 
Princeton, 391. 
Protector, 184, 185. 
Providence, 20, 28, 31, 32, y;^, 36, 38, 

39, 65, 68. 
Prudent, 169, 1 71. 
Pulaski, 427. 

Queen Charlotte, 354, 357. 

Queen of the l-Vest, 499, 500, 503, 505. 

Race Horse, 130. 

Racoon, 310, 312. 

-Rainbow, 155, 522. 

Raleigh, 1 19, 120, 121, 526, 536, 537, 

539, 543- 
Ratnilies, 218. 
Ramsden, Mr., 80. 



6o4 



Index. 



Randolph, 13 1, 135, 136, 137, 138, 

139, 140. 
Ranger, 71, 73, 74, 76, 77, 78. 
Rappahannock, 443. 
Raritan, 391. 
Ratford, Sailor, 325. 
Rattlesnake Flag, 71. 
Read, Commodore, 116. 
Reco, Lieutenant, 541. 
Relief, 427, 471. 

Reid, Henry, Earl of Orkeney, 393. 
Ried, Lieutenant John, 393. 
Reid, Lord John, 393. 
Reid, Samuel Chester, 393 to 419. 
Reid, Mrs., 418, 419. 
Reina Christina, 539, 542, 544, 545. 
Reina Mercedes, 579, 580. 
Renshaw, Francis B., 431. 
Reprisal, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, loi. 
Republican, 239. 
Resolution, 270a. 
Retaliation, 236, 238, 239. 
Retaliation Act, 239. 
Revenge, 52, 53, 106, 159, 351. 
Richard, 80, 81, 83, 84, 87, 505. 
Richmond, 427, 452, 454, 455, 533, 

555- 
Ridgeley, Midshipman, 258. 
Ritchie, Lieutenant, 318. 
Roanoke, 428. 
Robert I, 394. 
Robert III, 393. 

Robinson, Captain, 60, 143, 197. 
Robinson, Samuel S., 528. 
Roche, James Jeffrey, 393. 
RoDGERS, John, 263 to 267. 
Rogers, George W., 216, 223, 246. 
Rogers, Raymond P., 566. 
Romotia, 155. 
Roosevelt, Theodore, 522. 
Rosa, 397. 



Ross, General, 395. 

Rossie, 147. 

Rota, 404, 405. 

Royal Geographical Society, 130. 

Royal George, 366, 367, 369. 

Rowan, Stephen Ci.egg, 469 to 474, 

561. 
Rush, W. R., 559. 
Ruskin, James, 534. 
Russell, G. L., 578. 

Sabine, 427, 433. 

Sachem, 143. 

Sacramento, 443. 

Saginaw, 427. 

Salonstall, Dudley, 20, 28, 35, 66. 

Sampson, George, 547, 569, 576, 581, 

582. 
Sampson, Thomas William, 547 to 

552, 10, 523, 556. 
Sands, James Hoban, 526. 
San Jacinto, 427. 
Santcc, 428. 
Saratoga, 143, 378, 379, 380, 381, 382, 

427, 450, 461. 
Saunders, Lieutenant, 68. 
Savage, John, 395. 
Savage, Mrs., 395. 
Savannah, 428. 
Saxton, Hiram, 525. 
Saxton, Mary, 555. 
Scarborough, 13, 83. 
Schley, Winfield Scott, 525 to 553. 
Schley, John Thomas, 553. 
Schley, Virginia McClure, 553. 
Schley, Arthur, 553. 
Schley, Eugene, 553. 
Schuetze, W. N., 566. 
Scorpion, 354, 357, 35S. 
Scott, General Winfield, 390, 391 , 450, 

553- 



Index. 



60 T. 



Scott, N. P., 545. 

Scottrge, 196. 

Scull, Nicholas, 127. 

Sears, Isaac, 171. 

Sears, James H., 559. 

Selkirk, Lord, 74, 75. 

Selkirk, Lady, 75, 76. 

Seminole, 427. 

Semmes Raphael, 513 to 518. 

Seneca, 463. 

Serapis, 9, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 97, 107, 

109, no. III, 121, 151. 

Seven Years War, 25. 

Seveir, James, 285. 

Sewanee, 527. 

Seward, Mr., 433, 477. 

Shafer, Lieutenant, 478. 

Shatter, General, 550, 551. 

Shaler, William, 225, 371. 

Shannon, 273a, 274a. 

Shark, 43, 44. 

Shaw, Commander, 371. 

Shark, 499. 

Shelby, Isaac, 415. 

Shenandoah, 561. 

Sherman, W. T., 488, 494. 

Shubrick, John Semplar, 221, 227. 

Sickles, Catherine, 371, 

Sickles, John, 371. 

Sigsbee, Charles Dwight, 525. 

Simpson, American Consul, 192. 

Simpson, Edward, 559. 

Sinclair, Captain, 266. 

Siren, 196, 202, 21 1. 

Slemmer, Lieutenant, 432. 

Smallwood, Colonel, 157. 

Smith, Benjamin, 296. 

Smith, Melancthon, 532, 534, 535. 

Smith, Captain, 172, 255, 266. 

Smith, Sidney, 296. 

Smith, William, 464. 



Solace, 521. 
Solway, 68. 
Somers, Captain, 197, 198, 204, 205, 

354, 466, 513. 
Somers, Richard, 253 to 258. 
South Carolina, 94. 
Southjield, 464, 465. 
South wick. Squire, 547. 
Spark, 223, 459. 
Sparrow, 527. 
Spence, Midshipman, 202. 
Spitfire, 223. 
Spofford, Paul, 419. 
Stafford, James Bayard, 70. 
Stars and Stripes, 568. 
Staunton, Lieutenant, 577. 
Steever, Charles L., 464. 
Stembel, Lieutenant, 436. 
Sterling, Admiral, 129, 130. 
Sterrett, Lieutenant, 174, 210. 
Stephenson, Mr., 415. 
Steubel, Commander, 496. 
Stewart, Andrew, 114, 189. 
Stewart, Charles, 253, 255, 257, 304.. 
Stickney, J. L. 545. 
Stockton, Mr., 471. 
Stoddert, Secretary of War, 175. 
Stonbel, R. N., 439. 
Stormont, Lord, 172. 
Story, Justice, 274a. 
Stotesbury, William, 464. 
Stringham, Silas Horton, 459 to 

461, 469. 
St. James, 172. 
St. Lawrence, 428. 
St. Louis, 427, 433, 496, 498, 499,. 

501, 526. 
St. Paul, 525. 
St. Shannon, 272a. 
Summit, 13. 
Sumpter, General, 497. 



\ 



6o6 



Index. 



Sumter, 427, 514, 515, 518. 
Supply, 427, 432, 435. 
Sttrprisc, 51. 
Susquehanna, 427, 507. 
S'ivallaii.', 2.\(i. 
Swan, Francis H,, 464. 
Sivitzerland, 499, 500. 
Sybil, 124, 125. 
Sykes, Dr., 277. 
Symmehy, 13. 
Syren, 189, 243. 

Tagus, 311. 

Talbot, Captain, 146, 165. 

Tatnall, Commander, 494, 495. 

Taylor, 435, 436, 437, 438, 440, 503, 

504, 505. 
Taylor, John, 233, 570. 
Tciumseh, 359, 456, 510. 
Tennessee, 507, 509, 510, 511, 575. 
Texas, 557, 558, 564, 587. 
Teuedos, 221. 
Thais, 410. 

" The Polly of New York," 138. 
Thomas Penrose, 340. 
Thompkins, Governor, 416. 
Thompson, Charles, 53. 
Thompson, Commander, 496. 
Thompson, Thomas, 119. 
Ticonderoga, 379, 381. 
Tigress, 354. 
Tileston, Thomas, 419. 
Tilgham, General, 440. 
To?n Bowline, 330, 334. 
Torch, 223. 
Trant, Mr., 365. 
Trepassy, 122, 123. 
Tripoli, 210, 304. 
Tripoline, 196. 
Tripon, 339. 
Trippe, 354, 357, 358. 



Trippe, Lieutenant, 197, 198. 

Triumph, 92, 93. 
Troup, John, 169. 

True Br i ion, 136. 
Trumbull, Governor, 35, 160, 161. 

Trumbull, 112, 1 13, 150, 15 1. 
Truxton, Thomas, 169 to 181, 11, 

165, 236, 263, 303, 394, 421. 
Tunnell, Cook, 590. 
Turner, Lieutenant, 354. 

Tuscarora, 514, 515. 
Tyler, President, 418. 
Tyng, William, 185. 

Unicorn, 120. 
United States Flag, 71. 
United States Nax'y, 154. 
United States, 125, 207, 216, 217, 218, 
230, 253, 266, 279, 298, 299, 321, 
329, 492. 

Vandalia, 449. 
Van Dorn, General, 497. 
Varuna, 455, 532. 
Varvaris, Oiler, 590. 
Vaughn, William, 374. 
\'ashan, James, 125. 
Velasco, 539, 544. 

Vengeance, 80, 83, 107, 165, 176, 177. 
Vermont, 586. 
Vesuvius, 447. 
Victor, 155. 

Vincennes, 428, 469, 492. 
Vincent, Captain, 139. 
Virginia, 143, 148, 149, 479, 4S5, 

502, 509. 
Vixen, 189, 193, 205, 209, 243, 257, 

270a, 557. 558- 
Vizcaya, 523, 557, 560, 563, 564, 565, 

579, 580. 
Voorhees, Daniel W., 414. 



Index. 



607 



Volonlaire, 236, 238. 
Volunteer, 164. 
Villi II II, 522. 

Wabash, 428,461,493,531. 
Wadsworth, Henry, 254, 256. 
Wadsworth, Brig. General, 394. 
Wainwright, Richard, 453, 56S. 
Wait, 150, 161 . 
Walke, Anthony, 434. 
Walke, Henry, 431 10444,491,495, 

505- 
Walker, Aza, 538, 541. 
Wallace, Captain, 26, 30, 31, 120. 
Ward, Captain, 419. 
Warford, G. H., 559. 
Warren, 16, 18, 33, 39, 40. 
Warrington, Lewis, 320, 330, 335. 
Washington, George, 13, 14, 15, 16, 

17, 18, 19, 27, 32, 55, 93, 134. 

135. 153. 154, 157. 173. 27i>395- 
Washington, 16, 17. 
Wasp, 28, 30, 143, 270a, 277, 2S0, 

281, 283, 327, 329. 
Waters, Captain, 19. 
Water Witch, 428. 
Wateree, 555. 

Watson, Lieutenant, 30, 453. 
Weaver, Lieutenant, 29. 
Webster, Charles, 559. 
Wells, B. W. Jr., 559. 
Wendover, Peter N., 417, 418. 
West, William, 26. 
Whingates, 280. 
Whipple, Abrahau), 20, 25, 27, 28, 30, 

31. 35. 37- 



White, Sailing Master, 272a. 
WicKES, Lambert, 43 to 47, loi. 
Wildes, Frank, 526, 538, 541, 545. 
Wilkes, Henry, 464. 
Wilmer, Lieutenant, 315. 
Wilwi/igton, 588. 
Willing, Thomas, 124, 129. 
Williams, Alexander O., 403. 
Williams, Joseph, 574. 
Williams, John Forster, 184, 185,, 

574- 
Williams, Captain, 525. 
Williams, Robert, 525. 
Wilson, Charles, 50. 
Winona, 555. 
Winthrop, 185, 186, 187. 
Winsiow, 587, 58S, 589, 590, 591. 
Winslow, Captain, 517. 
Wirt, William, 415. 
Wolfe, 369. 

Wood, E. P., 538, 541. 
Worden, Lieutenant, 48, 478, 479, 480, 

481,483. 
Worth, Jonathan, 585, 592. 
Worth, William, 399, 584, 5S5. 
Worth, W. J., 399. 
Wyandotte, 427. 
Woodman, John, 464, 466. 
Woolsey, Lieutenant, 365. 

Yarmouth, 139, 140, 144. 

Yarnall, Lieutenant, 355, 358. 

Yeo, Sir James Lucas, 361, 36S,. 

369- 
Young, Joseph, 143. 



Lb, 



